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Gorgeous GARDEN IDEAS

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JULY 2021 £4.99

HELEN MIRREN My twofavourite royals and why I’d be a hopeless queen %OFF AT 25 PRAI BEAUTY 20OFF% AT

✢ Rethink your make-up ✢ Sort your hair colour ✢ Get in shape

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Living the

BEAT ANXIETY Take our quiz & solve your issues

GOOD LIFE

18

Let’ s eat OUTSIDE! W&H SPECIAL

FLORAL STREET FRAGRANCE

pages

✢ Al fresco entertaining ✢ Scandi-style midsummer lunch ✢ Cool cocktails & homemade nibbles

Everything you need for a perfect summer

W&H EXTRA

Brilliant

BOOKS ✢ Best holiday

reading picks ✢ Your top 20 books of all time ✢ Lionel Shriver, Fanny Blake, Stacey Halls, Clare Mackintosh

editor’s letter

MY WISH LIST Stay happy with summer brights

LET’S BE KIND

to ourselves…

A

M&H :TRIHS .NOTYALC OJ :PU-EKAM & RIAH .ELDRACM NELEH :OTOHP

re you one of those people who breezes through life without a care in the world? No? Neither am I. Worrying seems to go with the territory for many of us and, for the most part, if we’re lucky, it’s controllable – let’s face it, it’s the worrying about things that often gets them done. But sometimes it gets a bit out of hand and becomes unproductive or worse. If you suffer in any way, big or small, our anxiety quiz on page 92 will tell you what kind of issues you might have and gives great tips on how best to deal with yours. (I was mostly Bs, by the way.) I recommend reading it as the first step towards being kind to yourself – because you deserve it.

And worry is sometimes what stops us from doing what we really want.

By our age most of us don’t really give a stuff what people think of us, but we do worry about the consequences – for our security and our future.

Our brilliant feature Taking the Plunge on page 46 offers really useful expert advice on making changes to your home, career and finances.

So whether you’re thinking about downsizing or starting a business, it will give you encouragement and arm you with the information you need.

Meanwhile, in our fashion and beauty pages, we’re delivering on our promise to feature REAL women on our pages – take inspiration from the gorgeous photos in Garden Party, our boho chic fashion story on page 64, and Have a Good Hair Day, our brilliant home hair colour story on page 76 as you get in step with summer.

Most of all, make time for you – and enjoy the issue.

PS

Dress, £95, sizes 8-16, greatplains.co.uk

Look of Love Lipstick in Nude Romance, £28, charlottetilbury.com

Art print, £50, Slow Down Studio at selfridges.com

MIRANDA McMINN Editor, woman&home miranda.mcminn@futurenet.com

Don’t forget to sign up to our Beauty Counter, in partnership with La Mer, to receive free beauty products to try. Just go to uk.beautycounter.womanandhome.com to find out more.

Stacking wine glasses, £10, johnlewis.com womanandhome.com 3

MEET OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Staff emails: firstname.surname@futurenet.com

Writer and part-time smallholder REBECCA SCHILLER runs the Mothers Who Write community and is co-founder of the human rights charity Birthrights. Her memoir, Earthed, is out now, and she has written about her not-so-simple life on page 42.

What was the last thing that made you cry with laughter?

My family and I recently discovered The Goes Wrong Show – a hilarious BBC series where a troop of hapless actors relentlessly make disastrous mistakes as they attempt to put on plays. We laughed until we sobbed!

Celebrity director Jack White

Astrologer WENDY BRISTOW was launch editor of young women’s title More! and worked for over 20 years in magazines. Astrology was a hobby until an editor suggested she try writing about it.

Check your stars on page 193.

What was the last thing that made you cry with laughter?

The last time I laughed ‘til it hurt was watching Mike Wozniak on the comedians-do-daft-things show Taskmaster. He’s an improv genius!

Head of art production Nicola Tillman Art production designer Chris Saggers Art production designer Phil Dunk

4 womanandhome.com

Editorial Editor Miranda McMinn Group creative director Phil Attaway Group chief sub editor Emma Badger Lifestyle director Jayne Marsden Group fashion director Paula Moore Fashion editor Hannah Hughes Deputy fashion editor Eloisa Johnson Senior fashion stylist Becky Joiner-O’Riordan Group beauty director Charley Williams-Howitt Group beauty director Sarah Cooper-White Senior beauty editor Fiona McKim Beauty editor Stephanie Maylor Deputy fashion and beauty editor Jessica Beech Beauty writer Emma North Features director Jane Kemp Features editor Sharon Sweeney Travel editor Helena Cartwright Books and fiction editor Zoe West Health and fitness editor Lucy Gornall Deputy health editor Faye M Smith Senior health writer Natalia Lubomirski Acting senior health writer Ali Horsfall Senior health writer Tanya Pearey Junior health writer Rose Goodman Homes editor Holly Walsh Acting homes editor Lisa Fazzani Food director Elisa Roche Food editor Samuel Goldsmith Deputy food editor Rose Fooks Senior food writer Jessica Ransom Food writer Keiron George Design director Simon Maynard Group art director Ian Cave Senior art editor Katherine Stock Senior designer Katie Harris Picture director Karen Whitehead Picture editor Emma Smith Senior picture researcher Louise Connolly

Group production editor Stuart Dade Chief sub editor Susannah Hockham Senior sub editor Heather Ransome Digital Digital content director Holly Boultwood Editor, womanandhome.com Kelly Bowerbank Management Chief content officer, Future Living and Future Passions Angela O’Farrell Executive assistant to Angela O’Farrell Hollie Bishop Managing director of women’s lifestyle Mark Winterton Brand director Grainne McKenna Group editor in chief Catherine Westwood Marketing Head of brand marketing Mary Bird

Advertising Commercial publisher Lucy Gugas 07974 199125 Account director Gemma Singleton 07870 887530 Regional sales director: inserts Katherine Brown 07464 544375 Inserts sales director Shereen Benzaina 07508 416111 Classified senior sales executive Felicity Bateman-Wood 0330 390 7413 Circulation manager Natasha Brewer International licensing and syndication woman&home is available for licensing and syndication.

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ISSN 0043 7247 (compact issue ISSN 1753 7932) We are committed to only using magazine paper which is derived from responsibly managed, certified forestry and chlorine-free manufacture. The paper in this magazine was sourced and produced from sustainable managed forests, conforming to strict environmental and socioeconomic standards.

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EDITORIAL COMPLAINTS We work hard to achieve the highest standards of editorial content, and we are committed to complying with the Editors’ Code of Practice (https://www.ipso.co.uk/IPSO/cop. html) as enforced by IPSO. If you have a complaint about our editorial content, you can email us at whmail@futurenet.com or write to woman&home, Future plc, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. Please provide details of the material you are complaining about and explain your complaint by reference to the Editors’ Code. We will endeavour to acknowledge your complaint within five working days and we aim to correct substantial errors as soon as possibl

RETSWEF EPOLENEP :ACCEBER FO OTOHP

International bestselling author LIONEL SHRIVER tackles tough subjects unflinchingly. Her latest book Should We Stay or Should We Go is no exception, so you’ll be fascinated to discover how she writes on page 167.

What was the last thing that made you cry with laughter?

A meme that featured several pictures of deep, empty post holes in the dirt, with the caption ‘These posts have been removed… in case they cause a fence’. It’s just a pun, but a perfect double pun that’s socially apt.

Join the conversation!

WE LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU, SO LET US KNOW YOUR OPINIONS, YOUR STORIES – AND ANYTHING THAT MATTERS IN YOUR LIFE STAR LETTER

We’re 60 – and not out! Jane Fallon’s feature, Why I Can Finally Stop Worrying [May], received a rousing cheer from many of you…

STAR LETTER

I’ve spent a lifetime pleasing others, but the pause caused by lockdown has made me realise it’s time to please me. Like Jane, my 60th year has made me feel braver, and I’ve decided to take my work pensions later in the year. Having lost friends in their 50s, I owe it to them (and to me) to make the most of these years.

Gill, by email

MAKING A DIFFERENCE

I’m 70 this year, and I walk, swim, dance, go on days out and holiday alone. I can see what I want, do what I want, and as long as I don’t deliberately upset people, I say what I want. I retired from work, not life.

Sue, by email

I read your article on e-bikes [May] with interest. No one should dismiss them as ‘cheating’; it’s the chance to get out there.

In 2015 I had breast cancer, and I now get out of breath very easily. Prior to this, I loved going out on my bike. We tried an e-bike on holiday and it was a game changer.

Caroline, by email

I enjoyed your piece about female police officers [April], but I wish it had included the 3,000 specials in England and Wales. Most have day jobs and families, but we work, unpaid, with regular officers.

Megan, by email

MORE HELP PLEASE

YTTEG :SOTOHP

I’d questionyour statistic in the menopause feature [May] that symptoms are manageable for 80% of women. For many, myself included, this is an awful time of life. My GP was dismissive and wouldn’t prescribe HRT because of the [slightly increased] cancer risk. I’m now having acupuncture, which helps, but costs me £25 a session. Only other menopausal women seem to understand.

Sue, by email

I’m proud of how far I’ve come – being a social worker, raising my son and owning my home – and now I can chill. Sixty is a very good place.

Elaine, by email Jane Fallon is right. I’m going to make a conscious effort to please myself in future. I’ve always fancied pink hair…

Karen, by email I devoured Jane Fallon’s entertaining piece about reaching this milestone birthday, but I’d love to have seen a photo of her in her ‘rebellious’ outfit, instead of the standard publicity shot.

Linda, by email

10%

13% 57% 20% I WOULDN’T WEAR A SWIMSUIT

BIKINI

TANKINI

ONE PIECE

WE ASKED

What kind of swimsuit do you wear?

SHE SAID IT…

‘You have to understand that we’re here for a blink of an eye. It’s a miracle that we exist at all.’

Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh shares her life lessons on page 53

STAR LETTER PRIZE Our star letter writer this month wins a deliciously silky Ageless Hand & Neck Creme Kit, from top skincare brand PRAI (praibeauty.co.uk).

Worth £45, they’ll soften and rejuvenate these delicate areas.

STAR PRIZE

GET IN TOUCH Want to comment on a feature, share an opinion or tell us about your life? Email us at whmail@futurenet.com or write to w&h Letters, Future plc, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP. Emails and letters may be edited and published.

womanandhome.com 5

W&H IN THIS ISSUE 16 Helen Mirren chats to us

Great reads 16

22 24 27 28 33 34 40 42 45 46

53 54 56

6 womanandhome.com

Fashion & beauty

63 If you do one thing this month Boost your mood in brights 64 Garden party Summer boho 70 ON THE COVER Staycation chic Staple items for the holiday season 72 ON THE COVER Wearable trends The best buys this summer 76 ON THE COVER Sort your hair colour Colouring your hair at home made easy with our Q&A guide 82 ON THE COVER Rethink your make-up Lift your mood with bold beauty buys 87 What I really use: Lauren Hutton The model shares her beauty must-haves

76

Our fail-safe guide to home dye

56

Start-ups by the sea

Health & wellbeing

89 If you do one thing this month Cook a healthier barbecue 91 Omega oils explained Healthy fats 92 ON THE COVER Beat anxiety Take our quiz and solve your issues 94 ON THE COVER Get in shape Advice on the best exercises for weight loss 97 I was housebound with psoriasis One woman’s painful foot condition 99 Sex life SOS! Revive your libido 100 Breast friends! Why it’s important to take care of your boobs 102 Your health Medical queries sorted

ON THE COVER: HELEN MIRREN PHOTO: DAVID VENNI

YLPPA SNOITIDNOC DNA SMRET*

50

ON THE COVER Helen Mirren My two favourite royals and why I’d be a hopeless queen Tweak a little, change a lot!

Transform your mindset, and your life The best books for self-help How to find the right one for you From the heart: Adele Parks Going back to the future Golden girls Celebrating Great Britain’s best sporting heroines My life in a picture: Stephen Mangan We grew up making each other laugh Why we love classical Classic FM presenters discuss their passion 10 rules for a great British summer The joys of holidaying at home Nature helped me survive my breakdown How farming exposed one woman’s mental health condition The way I am: Joanna Page Nothing fazes me now ON THE COVER All change! The experts outline how to transform your career, home and finances w&h Amazing Women Awards 2021 Meet six inspiring nominees What I’ve learned: Adjoa Andoh Every day it’s a miracle that we’re here I turned off my husband’s life support How one woman faced the most difficult decision of her life Brand New Directions: Success at the seaside Beach-inspired businesses

34

A passion for classical music

156 Plan a trip of a lifetime

147

152

Food for sharing

138 Easy Scandi recipes

114

Transform your home for summer

Home, food & travel 107 If you do one thing this month Bake with edible flowers 108 ON THE COVER Gorgeous garden ideas Try these showcase features 114 Small change, big difference Easy updates for any space 118 Second time lucky A 1600s farmhouse, plus how to get the look 124 Romantic vision Pay a visit to Sissinghurst Castle Gardens in Kent 130 ON THE COVER Al fresco entertaining Mediterranean-inspired dishes 138 ON THE COVER Scandi-style midsummer lunch Light bites 144 ON THE COVER Cool cocktails Try these gin-based drinks with a twist 147 ON THE COVER Homemade nibbles Easy sharing snacks for entertaining 152 Britain’s best beaches UK breaks 156 Where the wild things are…

Plan your dream safari trip

Time for you

165 2021 Summer Reading Special 166 ON THE COVER Best holiday reading picks, and Lionel Shriver Must-reads, plus the author’s writing secrets 169 ON THE COVER Stacey Halls In conversation with the novelist 172 ON THE COVER Your top 20 books of all time Add them to your reading list 176 Books to escape with Reads to help you get away, while staying at home

The best staycations

178 ON THE COVER Fanny Blake Short story by the author 180 ON THE COVER Clare Mackintosh Exclusive short story 182 w&h weekend Great entertainment

In every issue

5 Join the conversation! Have your say 9 High street heroes Earthy tones 11 Best beauty buys Summery scents 13 Home mood Pretty potting 15 It’s all about you! Street style fashion 61 Smart with money Cash-saving tips 129 Green made easy Expert advice 193 Your stars July horoscopes 194 Town & Country Kathy Lette and Katie Fforde on going on holiday

Offers 75

ON THE COVER 25% off at Prai Beauty Boost your skincare this summer 86 ON THE COVER 20% off at Floral Street Fragrance Try a new scent 98 The Jane Plan Diet A great discount 104 Subscribe to woman&home Six issues for only £6*

SUBSCRIBE TO W&H Find our fantastic offer

just for you this month at womanandhome.com/july21 womanandhome.com 7

HIGH STREET HEROES

W&H UPDATE

EARTHY TONES

Ring, £17, stories.com Blazer, £169, sizes 6-16, massimodutti.com

Shoes, £55, skechers.com

Top, £20, sizes 6-26, next.co.uk

Trousers, £69.95, sizes 6-16, massimodutti.com Skirt, £35.99, sizes xs-xl, shop.mango.com

Necklace, £22, estellabartlett. com

Sunglasses, £15, marksandspencer.com

YLLAB

NADROIR’O-RENIOJ YKCEB :YB DELIPMOC

Shoes, £49.99, shop.mango.com

Bag, £70, dunelondon.com womanandhome.com 9

BEST BEAUTY BUYS

1

W&H UPDATE

1. Glistening honey

Notes of decadent black honey and heady amber are finished with a layer of bergamot and orange flower.

Tom Ford Soleil Brûlant, 50ml, £228, tomford.co.uk

2. Fragrant blossoms Delicate jasmine and honeysuckle are topped with

bergamot. Aerin Mediterranean Honeysuckle in Bloom, 50ml, £99, harrods.com

3. Summer vacation

Deliciously light and zingy, yuzu fruit layered with aromatic thyme and rosemary. Louis Vuitton On The Beach, 100ml, £200, louisvuitton.com

4.A sophisticated Energising orangery scent – fruity with a touch of androgyny. Jo Malone London Orange Peel Cologne, 30ml, £55, jomalone.co.uk

5. Liquid nectar

Elegant, feminine and aromatic. Guerlain Aqua Allegoria Nettare Di Sole, 125ml, £91, guerlain.com

6. Sparkling citrus

Bergamot and grapefruit make way for geranium petals sitting on a cedarwood base. Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo, 150ml, £124, John Lewis

7. Eau d’exotique

Top notes of lavender, tangerine and orange blossom give way to soft vanilla and earthy musk. YSL Libre Eau de Toilette, 50ml, £66, yslbeauty.co.uk HTRON AMME :SDROW

8. Golden dusk

Opening notes of ripened pear dry down to a base of tonka bean and sugary vanilla.

Coach Dreams Sunset, 40ml, £35, John Lewis

2 3 4 5 6 7 SUMMERY SCENTS

8

womanandhome.com 11

MOOD OF THE MONTH

W&H UPDATE

PRETTY POTTING

Vierno drinker water dish, £9, shop. nationaltrust.org.uk Weathered effect garden mirror, £20, wilko.com Seedling tray, £13, saltandsteel.co.uk

Gardening set, Wood handle stainless steel £14.99, Homesense trowel, £4, wilko.com

Aldsworth potting table, £300, gardentrading.co.uk INAZZAF ASIL :YB DELIPMOC

Claudius XXL terracotta garden pot, from £89.99, gardenesque.com

Galvanised watering can, £40, gardentrading.co.uk Bees gardening kneeler, £20, sophieallport.com

Florence grey outdoor mirror, £40, dunelm.com

Terrarium, £39.99, hm.com

Blue tit pot hanger, £12.50; (with pot, £28), ellajames.co.uk

womanandhome.com 13

W&H UPDATE

@gillian_loves, 39, swishes her way into summer in a wear-anywhere polka-dot dress

@vanity_and_ me, 58, keeps it classic by mixing cool caramels with fresh whites

@eleanorbarkes, 39, nails summer tailoring in this sleek two-piece

@themumlife_ styled, 36, offsets her sporty cycling shorts with some smart loafers

IT’S ALL ABOUT YOU!

W&H

@rutlandgirlfashion style, 46, looks stylish on the go in a linen suit and a waist-defining belt

@msorrig, 51, gives a simple shirt dress extra pizzazz with some statement mules

STREET STYLE

@thefashionablepan, 44, is a sheer delight in a mesh midi and chunky sandals

LLEB EILRAHC :YB DELIPMOC

@juliet, 44, oozes romance in a ruffle blouse and heart-shaped accessories Add your pictures by hashtagging #womanandhomestreetstyle or email wandhstreetstyle@futurenet.com to join in. womanandhome.com 15

‘ I ’ d be hopeless at

cover story

BEING ’ QUEEN Dame Helen Mirren talks to Jack White about playing royal figures, and why she thinks Queen Elizabeth II has been so successful

he’s the queen of the silver screen ho famously played Queen beth II in 2006, a role that won h he Academy Award for best a ess, but Dame Helen Mirren sists she’d be ‘hopeless’ in Her Majesty’s court shoes. When we catch up with Helen, 75, over Zoom, she’s as charming as ever as she discusses a new project to tie in with the Queen’s 95th birthday – and her admiration for the monarch is obvious. But there is something Helen is quick to point

out: ‘I’m a republican,’ she says. ‘So I’m not a royalist, but I would say I’m a Queen-ist. I think that describes me perfectly.’ Helen – who divides her time between the UK and the United States with her husband, director Taylor Hackford, to whom she has been married since 1997 – will soon be back on screen in Fast & Furious 9, in which she plays Magdalene ‘Queenie’ Shaw, the mother of Jason Statham’s character. Playing strong, confident women comes naturally >> womanandhome.com 17

‘I don’t have the level of calmness required. I’d be in hot water within a week!’

cover story to Helen – which should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody.

I am co-narrator, with Damian Lewis, on the new Debbie Wiseman project, The Music of Kings and Queens, in celebration of Her Majesty’s birthday.

I love history and, obviously, the history of Great Britain is of particular interest to me. I’m hoping the project will be a nice tool for teachers to educate about the history of Great Britain and the extraordinary legacy of a monarchy that has brought us to where we are today.

The two Elizabeths – I and II – are my favourite British royals. I’m really hoping that some time in the future, we will see statues of the two of them in their coronation robes, looking at each other across history. They were both crowned around the same age, and both very young when they came to that incredible responsibility. Having played both of them and investigated both of them as people and as characters, I saw a great similarity between them – in that they absolutely accepted the responsibility of the thing that fell upon their shoulders.

I don’t think either of them embraced it like a mad dictator – they weren’t craving power, but they had the understanding of the fact that history chose them. They knew there was no way out and all they could do was accept it. I believe that, from the moment the crown settled upon their heads, they went forward with very similar attitudes.

Queen Elizabeth II has always had the extraordinary ability to accept the new and go with the times. All I know is what I’ve observed, and to me, she has always seemed very open-minded. But that ability to accept the new is a very interesting quality. And if you listen to her speak as a very young person and listen to her now, it’s a very different voice.

INNEV DIVAD :SOTOHP

Another reason I believe she has been so successful is that she hasn’t tried to control her image in the same way that, for example, Elizabeth I did. Elizabeth II has allowed many artists to paint her portrait, giving them total artistic freedom. Elizabeth I projected herself as a brand in a very controlled way.

‘The Queen has always had the ability to go with the times’ The Queen is very consistent. She’s never put on weight but she’s never been too thin, she drinks but we’ve never seen her drink too much. She has banquets, but never eats too much. There is just an incredible, calm consistency about her.

When we did The Queen, a film like that had never been done before.

I had all these questions: ‘Are you allowed to do that?’ and ‘Is that right?’ I thought it was actually pretty cool to live in a society where you are allowed to [make a film like that]. I knew a lot of attention would be paid to it, so I had to be very careful.

I’d much prefer to have our royal family with all of its natural, human flaws, than the likes of some elected politicians. The Royal Family have been subject to a huge amount of criticism.

The Queen has experienced such extraordinary cultural change, and when

she first became queen, you couldn’t say a word of criticism about the royals. That would not happen nowadays.

I don’t have a particular interest in playing royal figures. In fact, the last film I did, ironically called The Duke, is nothing about a royal family and I played a very working-class woman. Because of the monarch’s position in society, quite a lot of dramatic things happen to them, so naturally they are interesting roles to play.

I wouldn’t have the discipline to be queen. I do have a certain amount of self-discipline, but I don’t have the level of calmness required. I’d be in hot water within a week. I also think I’d find it very imprisoning – I’d be absolutely hopeless!

✢ The Music of Kings and Queens by Debbie Wiseman will be released on 11 June via Decca Records. womanandhome.com 19

Tweak a little, CHANGE A LOT!

A

You’d be surprised at the big differences little changes can make to your mindset – and your life

s the world moves towards normality, you might have examined your old way of life and vowed to make some changes. If you want to achieve these goals, go big or go home is how the saying goes. But, according to our experts, you’re far more likely to create lasting change if you take things slowly. Gradual shift is less overwhelming and – without that little voice in your head that criticises you each time you fail – your motivation will stay on fire.

So give yourself a break and soon your small tweaks will grow to deliver a happier, healthier you.

OUR EXPERTS EMMA KENNY is ITV

This Morning’s resident psychologist. She specialises in anxiety, self-esteem, depression and resilience, and has a free health and fitness app, Appy Wellbeing.

NOOR HIBBERT is a business and life coach, who’s written a bestselling book, Just F*cking Do It (John Murray), and has an inspirational podcast, Think It, Get It.

SET BOUNDARIES It can be hard to stand up for yourself

3

REJECT NEGATIVITY With everything that’s happened

for fear of rejection or causing offence, but the boundaries you set reflect your values and standards.

‘If you don’t have boundaries, you’re likely to find yourself constantly pleasing others, while failing to meet your own needs,’ says Kenny. ‘And you won’t have a benchmark for the things you actually want to achieve.’

DO IT You need to be honest with yourself, says Hibbert. ‘List five things in life that you’re allowing that you don’t want to any more and, next to them, write how you would feel if you’d set boundaries. Then implement them, while reminding yourself that you’re an adult and you get to choose.’

4

in the past year, the constant negative news can be emotionally draining.

‘When we regularly hear negative news or when we are around negative people, our body reacts with a feedback loop that stirs up negative emotions, leading to catastrophic effects on our mental health,’ says Hibbert.

DO IT Think before you join in the misery-fest. Ask yourself if your reaction will serve you and others, or whether it will simply upset you more. This pause may help you look at the stimulus differently and help you to react less emotionally. ‘To stop the feedback loop, pivot your perspective and try to find something positive in the situation, even if it’s really hard,’ says Hibbert.

LEAVEYOUR COMFORT ZONE If you always do what you’ve always

DITCH‘I GET WHATI DESERVE’ When you’re in a rut and have lost your

CELEBRATE YOURby thinking ACHIEVEMENTS Your internal dialogue of all the fantastic

HAPPINESS 7 FIND IN SMALL THINGS

1

AIM FOR PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION Fear can hold you back from doing

things, big and small. The thought of making a fool of yourself if you ‘fail’ is scary, plus it can be frustrating to think you won’t be capable of achieving what you want. ‘Perfection unconsciously causes us to focus on what isn’t working and the flaws,’ says Noor Hibbert.

‘Conversely, progress is endless because you’re always focusing on what’s going well, how you can improve and breakthroughs. It’s matter of looking at things from a different perspective.’

DO IT Rather than making a lofty aim – I WILL work out three times a week – and then beating yourself up when you don’t manage it, aim for once, and build upon it. A small success subconsciously makes your new habit easier to become ingrained. ‘Celebrating the small wins means you’re always growing and fulfilling your potential,’ says Emma Kenny.

KNEHCSLOV LEZEIL ,YMALA :SOTOHP .GNIWE HARAS :SDROW

2

feel good you

can be what’s holding you back because you’re repeating judgemental thoughts. ‘We often self-criticise because of past negative experiences, but ruminating over the past lets it control you,’ says Hibbert. The trick is to challenge that voice in your head – and turn the negative into a positive.

DO IT ‘When you begin to think negatively, reframe your thoughts

done, you will always get what you’ve always got. Perhaps it’s time to dig deep and be brave? ‘The most successful people in life allow themselves to feel the fear and do it anyway,’ says Kenny.

DO IT ‘Set yourself challenges that make you feel nervous. Once you’ve conquered each one, you’ll grow in confidence and remind yourself that the only limits that exist are the ones you create for yourself.’

Explore a new place, try an online course – you could combine the two and book a holiday somewhere you’ve never been and have a go at learning the language.

things you’ve achieved,’ says Kenny.

‘The more you feed your brain with positive thoughts, the more you train it to think this way.’ If, for example, you went shopping and didn’t get an ingredient you needed, pat yourself on the back for all the things you did get and solve the problem by being inventive – using a substitute or cooking another dish.

Now you can applaud your ingenuity.

5

6

mojo, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that’s your lot. ‘Many of us have an inbuilt narrative we picked up as a child that we aren’t good enough and therefore don’t deserve the things we desire,’ says Hibbert.

DO IT Set a message on the alarm function on your phone by labelling it, ‘I am good enough and deserve all I desire,’ says Hibbert, and set it to repeat three times a day. ‘Each time it goes off, put your hand on your heart and repeat it out loud.’

When things seem so tough, it’s hard to feel any sense of security or happiness.

Seek out even the tiniest of things that make you smile. ‘Even in the most desperate of times, there is beauty everywhere,’ says Kenny. ‘Practising gratitude daily in small ways reminds you that there can be pleasure pretty much everywhere you seek it.’

DO IT ‘At the end of every day, note three things you felt grateful for and one thing you struggled with and learnt from,’ says Kenny.

womanandhome.com 23

The best BOOKS FOR SELF HELP From easing anxiety to managing the menopause, we reveal the best self-help books to get your body and mind in shape

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sense of renewal is in the air, and that means there’s no better time to get our body and mind in shape. But you don’t need to become a qualified How much the selfyogi or down green juices improvement market is to transform your health and set to grow by in the wellbeing. Whether you want next year. to sleep better, eat healthier or worry less, there’s a book out there that could help you.

‘Self-help books are more popular than ever. This past year has forced us all to take a close look at who we are, and has also generated an interest in our psychological, emotional, physical and mental health,’ says author and relationship and lifestyle strategist Rainie Howard. ‘People want to take ownership of their wellbeing, and self-help books can make readers feel empowered and more in control of their life.’

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£10 BILLION

feel good you

DO SELF-HELP BOOKS WORK? Rainie believes they can be like

having a therapist on speed dial, without the hefty hourly charge!

‘We’re constantly going through challenging times – divorce, low self-esteem, the menopause or complete burnout – but often we’re not comfortable talking to another person about it.’ That’s why many of us are turning to books.

‘Reading something that can relate to you and guide you, can be life-changing,’ adds Rainie.

EXTRA HELP

‘There are times when self-help books should be used with guidance of a professional,’ says Rainie. If you’re dealing with severe trauma, addiction, mental illness or even weight loss, you may want to also seek help from a trained therapist or medical expert.

FINDING THE BOOK FOR YOU Rainie shares her top tips:

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1 2 3 4

Pick a self-help book that focuses on a specific area of your life you want to work on. Research and read reviews to get a clear understanding if the book can benefit you personally.

Look for books that ask you questions to encourage your views and thoughts as you read.

Great self-help books can give similar benefits to working with a life coach.

Ask yourself these questions: Can you relate easily to the book?

Does the author understand your problems? How can the advice help you?

Go in with an open mind.

Self-help books are more helpful when the reader is invested in reading them and applying the helpful advice.

THE SELF-HELP BOOKS TO BOOST YOUR BODY AND MIND ✢ Living Well Through the Menopause by Myra Hunter and Melanie Smith (£14.99, Robinson) The menopause brings about physical, mental and emotional changes, which can make you feel like you’re just keeping your head above water. Based on a wealth of research, this book uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help women cope.

Best for Improving physical and mental health during the menopause.

✢Self-care for Tough Times: How to Heal in Times of Anxiety, Loss & Change

by Suzy Reading (£12.99, Aster) Learn how to be your own safe place during difficult periods, such as relationship breakdowns, illness or death of a loved one, financial strain or simply feeling exhausted. The author offers advice on how to develop a self-care toolkit in times of need. Best for Dealing with stress, grief, loss, change and transition.

✢The Calm Kitchen by Lorna Salmon (£7.99, Pavilion Books) Essentially, the foodie approach to self-care. Discover how mindful cooking, baking, foraging and feasting can lead to better peace of mind, health and wellbeing. Following the four seasons, this is a beginner’s guide to reconnecting with nature through food, cookery and ingredientsourcing. It includes 30 foolproof vegetarian recipes, as well insightful and informative guides on the ingredients. Best for Healthy eating.

✢The Science of Sleep: Stop Chasing a Good Night’s Sleep and Let It Find You by Heather Darwall-Smith (£14.99, DK) Just one bad night’s sleep can cause irritability, brain fog and anxiety.

But don’t worry, this book promises that a restful night’s sleep is achievable for everyone. By looking at the factors that might be impeding sleep, you can work out the lifestyle changes you need to make to allow yourself to sleep naturally again.

Best for Perfecting your sleep routine.

✢I’m So Effing Tired by Dr Amy Shah (£14.99, Piatkus) Constantly exhausted and feeling overwhelmed? You could be on the brink of burnout, a now recognised illness by the World Health Organization.

In her book, Dr Amy Shah outlines anxiety-busting exercises, tips for revamping your diet, and easy ways to improve gut health in order to balance hormones and boost the immune system.Best for Beating burnout.

✢The Brain Fitness Book

by Rita Carter (£14.99, DK) It is proven that regularly challenging the brain keeps the mind fit and healthy, and can delay age-related cognitive decline.

A training manual for the mind, this book is packed with logic puzzles and cognitive exercises to improve memory, beat brain fog, boost processing time and sharpen problem-solving skills.

Best for A healthy mind. womanandhome.com 25

Back to the

FUTURE

from the heart

Looking at old photos helps novelist Adele Parks cherish what’s important

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here are few upsides to lockdown, but it’s worth pausing to celebrate those that do exist. For me, it meant I could finally get round to those niggling jobs that my hurlyburly life had always prevented me from tackling – such as sorting out my photograph albums.

I realised that during lockdown, I could upload my digital pictures and order prints online. I think we all now appreciate the joy of a muchanticipated package coming through the post, don’t we?

And, because I had so much more time, I could really savour leafing through my older snaps, the ones that had languished in boxes for decades and had never made it to the elevated status of being lovingly put in an album.

I had no idea how unimaginably joyful it would be to stride down memory lane with these packets of photos.

True, there were many subjects with their eyes closed, or out of focus or overexposed, and occasionally people were blurry because they’d moved just as the camera was clicked. But, despite all these distractions and flaws, these photos were perfect.

At a time when it was tricky to look forward with any certainty, I found it a great comfort to look back. Reflection is not something I’ve ever devoted much time to. I write a novel a year, I have a family, friends, support

charities and enjoy lots of hobbies.

I’ve always been someone who asks, ‘What’s next?’. Now, I discovered that taking time to remember what has gone before is actually incredibly cheering and worthwhile.

It was a joy to recall brilliant holidays spent on beaches and busy theme parks when my son was younger, my husband’s hair darker and my stomach firmer. Placing photos carefully in albums felt like a ritual, a homage to times that I’d perhaps taken for granted. I relived parties, significant birthdays, nights out and trips to exciting cosmopolitan cities. In the past, I’d breezed over so many rich experiences, always too ready to dash on to the next thing. These memories underlined my good fortune.

I was careful not to allow my gratitude to slip into anything like longing for the past. I didn’t want to resent the curtailed present or – even worse – despair about the future. The past is gone and, while it’s always very tempting to romanticise it, I resisted doing so.

In this challenging period, I recalled other tricky times in my life, and I remembered that I’d got through them. My photo albums reminded me that I’d survived a divorce and a period of being a single mum. In the past, I’ve lost dearly loved friends and family, and overcome health problems.

The thought ‘even this will pass’ kept coming to me, which was a huge

‘Placing photos in albums felt like a homage to times I’d taken for granted’

comfort. I am resilient, and my old photos showed me that.

I also found I could be kinder about myself than I had been when the images were taken. My response to seeing myself in a photo has always been self-criticism, but I could be more forgiving of the girl in these dated snaps. I didn’t hone in on my funny hairstyles, my chubby baby face or flat chest the way I most certainly did at the time. I looked back and felt real affection for the naive, sometimes awkward, not-fully-formed me. I now see that my clothes were fab, my baby fat cute, my crazy hairstyles fun. What I looked like was not that important, as I concentrated on what was happening in the photo and allowed happy memories to spark.

I’ve promised myself that from now on, when someone takes a photo, I won’t worry about wrinkles or unflattering angles. I’ll simply appreciate the fact that a special moment is being captured and immortalised. I’m so glad my hilarious 80s outfits were!

✢ Both of You by Adele Parks is out now (£14.99, HB, HQ HarperCollins). womanandhome.com 27

DAME JESSICA ENNIS-HILL, 35 Who can forget London 2012’s

Super Saturday, when Jessica won the heptathlon and Team GB collected six gold medals? The Sheffield athlete had a point to prove after missing out on Beijing 2008 through injury, but she came back more determined than ever.

Golden GIRLS With the Olympic Games starting this month, we celebrate the sporting heroines who have been faster, higher, stronger than the rest

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he world’s greatest sporting show will be very different this year.

Delayed from 2020 because of the pandemic, there will be fewer cheering crowds in Tokyo.

However, Team GB is expecting to take 380 athletes to Japan – and the good news is that, for the first time, there will be more British women than men.

Over the years, many women have become the darlings of British sport.

In March, the Football Association announced it had signed a multimillion-pound deal for the broadcasting rights to the Women’s Super League – a move that could inspire young women everywhere to take to the pitch. Here we salute some of the greatest British sportswomen, and recall their achievements.

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celebrating women DAME KELLY HOLMES, 51

Kelly joined the Army at 18 before her sporting success.

In 2004, at Athens, she became only the third woman in history to win gold in the 800m and 1500m. Today, she runs the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust to help disadvantaged young athletes, and is an honorary colonel.

NICOLA ADAMS OBE, 38

Last year, Nicola took to the Strictly dancefloor with Katya Jones, in the show’s onlyever same sex partnership.

The Leeds-born boxer retired from her sport undefeated, winning gold at London in 2012 and in Rio in 2016, stepping down from her professional career in 2019 due to an eye injury.

VICTORIA PENDLETON CBE, 40

For her 30th birthday, the cyclist had song lyric ‘Today is the greatest day I’ve ever known’ tattooed on her arm. Other great days have included winning two Olympic golds, and claiming ELLIE nine world titles. After she went on to SIMMONDS OBE, 26 retiring, be a jockey. She says, Aged just 13, Paralympic swimmer Ellie was the youngest ‘Don’t let anyone draw member of Team GB when she your path for you.’ won double gold at the 2008 Games in Beijing. In London in 2012, she won another two, and in Rio in 2016, she claimed her fifth. At 14 she became the country’s youngest MBE ever. She says, ‘You realise when things go wrong they make you stronger – and they happen for a reason.’

ALEX SCOTT MBE, 36

Fast becoming the face of women’s football, Alex joined Arsenal at the age of eight and played for England’s Lionesses 140 times.

She helped GB to reach the quarter-finals of the 2012 London Olympics, competed on Strictly Come Dancing in 2019, and is now on TV presenting for BBC Sport. >> womanandhome.com 29

DAME MARY PETERS, 81

The Troubles were at their height when a young Mary caught a bus across Belfast to train for the 1972 Munich Olympics. When she won gold in the pentathlon, she received a hero’s welcome, but also some Republican death threats.

PAULA RADCLIFFEMBE,47

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The first black British woman to win an Olympic gold, Tessa threw the javelin in six Games from 1976 to 1996, taking the top prize in 1984 in LA. Of her win, she says, ‘As I prepared to throw, I said to myself, please God let it be mine. Then you close your eyes and leave everything behind.’

DAME KATHERINE GRAINGER, 45

Great Britain’s joint most decorated female Olympian, Katherine won rowing gold at London 2012 and silver at Sydney, Athens, Beijing and Rio. She’s currently the chair of UK Sport. ‘When you ask the tough questions at the darkest parts of your career, you find out how important it is to you,’ she says.

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Now living in Monte Carlo with her husband and children, Paula smashed the women’s world marathon record in 2002. She won three London marathons, three in New York and one in Chicago. In 2010, she ran a charity 10km race while seven months pregnant.

‘Never set limits, go after your dreams, don’t be afraid to push the boundaries.

And laugh a lot,’ she says.

TESSA SANDERSON CBE,65

celebrating women VIRGINIA WADE OBE, 74

JO PAVEY MBE, 47

If she gets to Tokyo, longdistance runner Jo will equal Tessa Sanderson’s achievement of competing in six Olympics. She is the oldest female European champion in history, winning the 10,000m in 2014 at the age of 40. ‘It is always good to try and you never know until you do,’ she says.

In 1977, Virginia reached the Wimbledon final after 16 years of trying. It was the Queen’s Silver Jubilee and Her Majesty was in the stadium to see it. She would be the last home player to win a major title until Andy Murray won the US Open in 2012. ‘Playing at Wimbledon is unbelievable. If you are feeling good, it is like riding a wave,’ she says.

DAME TANNI GREY-THOMPSON,51

Now a baroness in the House of Lords, Tanni won 11 golds, four silvers and one bronze in wheelchair racing. Her motto, ‘Aim high, even if you hit a cabbage,’ comes from her grandfather.

DAME ELLEN MACARTHUR, 44

In 2005, Dame Ellen broke the world record for the fastest solo circumnavigation of the globe. On her return, after 71 days at sea, she became British history’s youngest dame. She says, ‘The outcome didn’t really matter – it was about a goal I’d set myself.’

JAYNE TORVILL OBE, 63

One half of the partnership that delivered our most famous Winter Olympic triumph. In 1984, in Sarajevo, Torvill and Dean achieved a perfect score for their ice dance to Ravel’s Boléro.

The pair are still skating together, and appear on ITV’s Dancing on Ice. womanandhome.com 31

‘WE GREW UP

my life in a picture

making each other laugh’ Actor Stephen Mangan had a glorious childhood, until heartbreak changed everything

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hey say that if you had a happy childhood, you don’t remember it, and I have to admit, I don’t remember that little red car I’m pushing, with my sister Anita at the wheel. I do, however, remember days like that, playing happily in the sunshine. It’s possibly summer 1971 and I’d be about three and Anita two.

Dad was one of nine and Mum one of seven, and they had that classic Irish journey – they left school at 14 and emigrated to north London at 16. He worked on building sites and she was a barmaid, and when they got married they moved out to Ponders End, on the edge of Enfield. Mum was only 22 when she had me, then Anita and finally Lisa. As the only boy, I was treated very well. My granny’s favourite expression was ‘Feed the men’, so my plate would be piled high with food, while my sisters would get what was left over. It was outrageous!

I have 52 first cousins and I can remember sitting for hours with relatives, telling stories and sharing laughter. Mum was a great laugher, and she’d be the audience while Dad and us kids would be silly. Until I was seven, I attended a

Stephen Mangan, left, and with sister Anita above Like me, my wife Louise is from a big family and we have three sons, Harry, 13, Frank, 10, and Jack, who’s five. I’ve been reading books to them for a long time and it’s a world I know.

My sister Anita is a fantastic illustrator, and it was suggested we do a kids’ book together, which is how Escape the Rooms came about.

It didn’t begin as a story about childhood grief, but I wrote a line about the central character, Jack, losing his mum, and that suddenly local school, where it was mainly girls seemed like an important element. and just four boys.

Children grieve in a very different way to When I was 13, I won a scholarship for adults. I wanted to show in the book that boarding school. My parents didn’t want it’s normal to be devastated one minute, me to go, but it was drilled then skipping around the next. Life is into me to get a good complicated and it’s OK to be silly education. I went on to along the way. study law at Cambridge.

I also wanted to defy the idea that a It was when I graduated book about grief must be sad. Comedy that Mum was diagnosed is a great vehicle because when you with bowel cancer and given make people laugh, there’s an ability six months to live. She was to talk about the most profound things. only 45 and her mum had Anita’s illustrations are just a joy – she died at 47. It changed my immediately understood where I was outlook, and I decided to try to become going with the characters. an actor. I might only have 20 years left, Frank was the first of my kids to read it.

I reasoned – why not take the leap?

Luckily, he loved it. I’ve enjoyed writing it It was the 30th anniversary of Mum’s so much I’d like to do more – and as the death in March, and the grieving goes boy in Escape the Rooms is called Jack, I’ll probably have to do two more at least! on. It’s something you never complete – like cutting off a table leg, you have to rebalance. When five of us became four, ✢ Escape the Rooms by Stephen Mangan our bond was reinforced. Then, 15 years and illustrated by Anita Mangan is later, Dad died and four became three… published on 10 June (£6.99, PB, Scholastic).

‘Life is complicated and it’s OK to be silly along the way’

womanandhome.com 33

Why we

LOVE classical As life takes a turn towards normal, Classic FM presenters Moira Stuart, Margherita Taylor and Charlotte Hawkins talk summer plans, career highs and the classical music that holds the fondest memories

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an we go and sit in a pub beer garden? I want to drag out wearing this dress for as long as possible!’, says Charlotte Hawkins, laughing. It’s just a few days after the second easing of government restrictions and, after lying low in lockdown, the popular broadcaster is revelling in her first editorial photo shoot in months.

Charlotte, a vision in floorlength peach tulle, isn’t the the only one in good spirits.

In between camera flashes, her Classic FM colleague, Moira Stuart, can’t resist shimmying to the vintage jazz and funk playing over the studio stereo.

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She also has the crew in stitches – thanks to her deliciously cheeky sense of humour.

‘You’ve rescued me from house arrest,’ admits Moira later, while inspecting shots of herself looking resplendent a black gown – her own.

She adds, ‘After a year of Zooms, I was ready for this!’

Margherita Taylor, too, is a force of photographic nature.

After finishing her radio show at 1am, she snatched minimal sleep before a 7am hair appointment ahead of our early morning shoot. ‘You’ve all made this such a lovely experience,’ she says, before flashing her trademark megawatt smile.

Here, they discuss their passion for classical music. >>

inspirational women

inspirational women

‘Dad inspired my love for classical music’ Good Morning Britain host Charlotte Hawkins, 46, lives in Surrey with her husband, Mark, and their six-year-old daughter, Ella Rose.

My late dad, Frank, was a vicar in a village called Sidlesham in West Sussex. I grew up around church music and played a lot of instruments – the piano, violin, guitar, flute, recorder and bass recorder. I also sang both in the church and school choirs.

I can remember dad doing the washing up, blaring out classical music, and it’s because of him that I grew to love it too.

Pachelbel’s Canon in D has a special place in my heart because it’s the music I walked down the aisle to at my wedding, with my dad by my side. He loved that piece, and to hear it played on the organ at Chichester Cathedral, where he was a canon, was just amazing.

The Flower Duet by Delibes – the music from the British Airways advert – instantly takes me back to my childhood, and now my daughter and I hum it when we’re brushing our teeth!

‘People stop me to say thanks for the music I’ve played’

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Radio and TV presenter, Margherita Taylor, 48, lives in London.

You can’t beat radio for its power of intimacy. You can travel with your listener, not just on the move, but through their lives. Many times, people have stopped me in the street to say the music got them through a tough moment in their lives or was played during an amazing moment, like the arrival of their baby. The privilege of broadcasting directly into someone’s day and being welcomed in is never lost on me.

My favourite piece of classical music is Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings.

It’s beautiful, tender and full of intensity, power and emotion – just stunning.

It always stops me in my tracks.

Alongside that first morning coffee or on the way to a big presentation or meeting, I love listening to Zadok the Priest by Handel.

George Gershwin’s Summertime from the opera Porgy and Bess is a summer favourite of mine. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue captures that feeling of a summer

evening, but his focus is on summer city heat, rather than the countryside.

It’s like a cool glass of something lovely on a too-hot-to-move day.

Travel is one of my greatest passions and, fingers crossed, with the restrictions beginning to ease, I’m looking forward to returning to Northern Ireland in June to film for Countryfile, and I also can’t wait to go back to the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland. I visited a couple of years ago, and the beauty of the landscape is just breathtaking. Great memories.

I also had some fun moments filming abroad as part of my time on Channel 4’s T4 youth strand in the early 2000s alongside Dermot O’Leary and June Sarpong. We had some good adventures and once filmed on the set of American drama series Dawson’s Creek. It still makes me smile thinking I may have made it into a background shot or two as an extra! ✢Margherita Taylor presents Smooth Classics on Classic FM, Monday to Friday, 10pm to 1am. >>

Last year, Ella Rose helped me pick the tracks on my Mindful Moments album, a collection of my most favourite relaxing pieces. It’s lovely to be passing down my love for classical music.

Hearing Bluebird by Alexis Ffrench inspired me to relearn the piano in 2019.

As a child, I reached Grade 5, but gave up when hanging out with my friends became more appealing. I retaught myself – it was hard work, but I’m pleased I persevered. For me, music is a big part of mindfulness. I like to put on music, get outdoors and take five or 10 minutes out to look up at the sky and the trees. It helps me rebalance when things are busy.

This summer, we’ll be holidaying in the UK. I’m trying to persuade Mark to do a farm stay. It’ll also be lovely to do a date night. In lockdown, we got into virtual cocktail nights. It’ll be nice to go to a cocktail bar and cast a critical eye! ✢Charlotte Hawkins presents Smooth Classics at Seven on Classic FM, Sunday, 7pm to 9pm.

The career of television and radio broadcaster Moira Stuart, 71, spans five decades. She lives in London.

I was born in London’s Mornington Crescent in 1949, and after my parents broke up when I was 10 months old, I moved to the East End. My mother had a little record player and played jazz, and rhythm and blues, including Nat King Cole, Carmen McRae and Frank Sinatra.

Although classical music was part and parcel of the British diet, I wasn’t really 38 womanandhome.com

aware of it until I was about eight years old and discovered different radio stations – like Radio Luxembourg.

I loved hearing American jazz artists, but classical musical also became a fascination. I got into all sorts of music, from folk and sea shanties to Bach and Beethoven, which certainly broadened my musical spectrum.

The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams reminds me of being 10 or 11, lying on the grass in Springfield Park and

Classic FM is available across the UK on 100-102 FM, DAB digital radio and TV, on Global Player on your smart speaker (‘play Classic FM’), iOS or Android device and at classicfm.com

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‘Music is a lifeblood, a sanctuary, and people are also my sanctuary’

looking up at the sky. Back in the day, there were a lot of sparrows and to me, their birdsong was like an idealised summer in the countryside.

As for my favourite classical piece of music of all time, I came across that fairly recently. Parce Mihi Domine is an extraordinary fusion of a 16th century chant with a jazz saxophonist called Jan Garbarek. It really moved me.

For relaxation, Erik Satie’s Trois Gymnopédies is so gentle and mesmeric and – funnily enough – it’s based on naked men of Sparta, dancing!

Music is a lifeblood, a sanctuary, and people are also my sanctuary.

As a broadcaster, I want to know what makes them tick, laugh, be happy, sad, or angry and frustrated.

On my Classic FM series, Moira Stuart Meets…, I loved interviewing the gorgeous John Cleese – apart from a wicked sense of humour, he had a very unexpected view of serious topics like life, death, politics, pomposity – closely followed by Stephen Fry. I had a great time with Ruth Jones and hell of a lot of fun with Dawn French. It’s difficult to say who is my favourite interviewee to date but, if you forced me, I would run off with John Cleese!

I don’t listen to music in the morning.

As soon as I’m awake, I want to know what’s happening in the world. It’s almost like an addiction. I’m usually tuned into world news and I’m fascinated by CNN. I like to know what’s happening on both sides of the Atlantic, because for more than 50 years, my family have lived in North America.

My mother, who lived in Canada with my sister, died a few years ago at the age of 95. She had faced the bombings and the horrors of World War Two as a nurse, at times covering her patients with her own body to protect them from the Blitz.

She was an incredible woman. ✢ Moira Stuart presents Moira Stuart’s Hall of Fame Concert on Classic FM, Saturday, 4pm to 7pm.

rules for a 10GREAT

BRITISH SUMMER

From sandy sandwiches to windswept walks, this is the year to fully embrace the delights of a summer staycation, says Christabel Smith

I

f we Brits were defined by a season, it would have to be summer. What is more quintessentially British than a day at the seaside, with squawking seagulls and sunburnt shoulders?

Mediterranean resorts are all very well, with their reliable heat and

wince-free waters, but in our hearts, we know there’s nothing more heavenly than the green, green grass of home. It may be too wet to lie on or scorched to scrub by mid-July, but the unpredictable weather is all part of the fun. Here are 10 rules for a Great British Summer.

‘There’s no such thing Let’s go for a nice 1inappropriate as bad weather, only 5 ‘drink outside’ clothing’

VISION 1 (TOWN) Chic people sipping How often did your mum tell you this? cool drinks on a city pavement or Our national need to cater for all riverside terrace as the sun goes down. meteorological eventualities explains why REALITY Every bar in town is mobbed every summer excursion involves lugging by thirsty workers, who’ve spent all more equipment than any invading army. day sweltering and gagging for a pint.

Raincoats, suncream, walking boots, sandals, swimming costumes, hats… all are essential to enable a few hours in the great outdoors. There we will stay, brollies You had visions of enjoying the up and rain dripping down our necks, radio while the kids/grandkids long after our European cousins have sat peacefully in the back of the car, scurried for shelter and a warm shower. enthralled by their i-SPY On The Road books. But no. You only make it as far as the second roundabout before they’re asking, ‘How long before we arrive?’

‘Not too long,’ you answer brightly. It’s The sun only has to show its face for a whopping fib because your holiday a few seconds for the British public to destination in Wales/Devon/Skegness announce: ‘Barbecue!’ What follows is a is at least six hours away on a good day, supermarket sweep for bangers, burgers and the August traffic is bumper-toand beers (him), Pimm’s and Prosecco (her). bumper already. When the whining ‘I’ll do the cooking,’ he will say, ‘you do the becomes unbearable, you pull into the salads.’ This means she is confined to the first service station and the car soon kitchen, chopping for hours, while he swigs stinks of burgers and cheap sweets. cans in the garden with the guests. When the fire’s lit, it also ignites every male’s inner caveman, as if there’s a woolly mammoth on the grill, rather than a few chipolatas.

2‘rawBurntinonthethemiddle’outside, 3

‘It’s lovely when you’rein!’

Swimming in Britain’s cold sea is

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wonderful for the skin, they say. It energises, boosts circulation and cures aches and pains, they say. Don’t believe a word. The water’s so cold, it will turn your legs purple. You’ll cut your feet on stones, risk eyeballing a jellyfish and it’ll take at least an hour of teeth-chattering before you can feel your extremities again.

4‘Flesh is more’

Sartorial standards slip in summer (try saying that after a couple of sangrias!). Summertime lore dictates that the men who walk around topless are those who should keep their

modern life There’s a scrum at the bar and standing room only in the smoking area outside.

VISION 2 (COUNTRY) A gorgeous pub garden, with tables beside a babbling brook.

REALITY All that’s babbling is the crowd that got there before you. The only seating is on a septic tank in the shade and there’s a two-hour wait for food.

6A‘ re we there yet?’ 8‘won’Staytstillstingandyou’it 7

A‘ sandy sarnie’s all part of the fun’ Summer editions of lifestyle magazines are full of ideas for packing up the perfect picnic. You have every intention of spreading out a tartan rug and opening up your wicker hamper to reveal chilled wine, cucumber sandwiches, coronation chicken (‘I made the mayonnaise myself’) and a delicate watercress salad. But life’s too short so, instead, you stop off on the way to the beach and load up with ready-made ham sandwiches, crisps and Scotch eggs. Grey eggs and sand in the mouth never did anyone any harm. shirts on, while no amount of fake tan will cover up the fact your sundress is a couple of sizes too small. On a hot day, award one point to every moob, knotted hanky, dodgy tattoo and beer belly you see. The winner gets a stick of rock.

Wasps are as much a part of a British summer as the tennis at Wimbledon and August bank holiday traffic jams.

Methods of wasp management include: 1 Running away in the opposite direction (screaming).

2 Wildly flapping your hands/tea towel/ handkerchief (screaming).

3 Nonchalantly flicking the offending creature towards someone else.

4 Listening to those who advise: ‘Stay where you are. Don’t move a muscle.’

NB: All result in being stung.

9‘messMmm,it’again’s Eton

Ah, the joy of strawberry season.

There’s nothing to touch our homegrown berries, with their delectable smell and taste, and strawberries and cream are served up wherever you go. You can have too much of a good thing, however.

After one Eton mess too many, when all that citric acid’s given you mouth ulcers, you begin to yearn for the comfort of piping-hot apple crumble.

Extra salt and 10‘vinegar,please’

From Scarborough to Southend, a traditional trip to the coast involves many an eating and drinking ritual.

Fish ‘n’ chips, of course, hot doughnuts, ice cream cornets or a double 99, all washed down with a few refreshing lagers. It may put the ’Great’ into Great British summer diet, but health food, this is not. womanandhome.com 41

Nature helped me survive my BREAKDOWN

memoir

Rebecca Schiller thought life on a smallholding would be perfect. Instead, it uncovered a long-term mental health diagnosis – and helped her heal it Rebecca Schiller and her son tend to one of their goats

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n Valentine’s Day 2017, I was working on our new smallholding in the frosty air. As we dug, I caught sight of the first snowdrops.

With their white heads loosening, promising spring, I felt sure my dream of a simpler life was coming true.

By 2020, our not-so-simple life had unravelled my mind.

My husband Jared and I had married at 25 and by our early 30s, we had busy careers, two children and had moved from London to Ramsgate. As our youngest left the baby stage, I felt stressed and unsettled. In the autumn of 2016, after six weeks living closer to nature on a working holiday, we decided to change the fabric of our lives and get 42 womanandhome.com

a rural smallholding. Friends and family raised eyebrows and sensible questions about our lack of experience. Yet I barely heard them and felt as if I was being pushed along by an invisible force. By January 2017, we’d bought a bungalow on a two-acre plot in the Weald of Kent.

Dream vs reality

At first, it was idyllic. The children climbed trees and collected firewood while Jared and I worked side by side as spectacular sunsets faded. The daffodils made way for roses, and I set about growing every vegetable I’d heard of, brought home ducklings and hatched chicks. But behind the blissful photographs I put on Instagram, I was beginning to struggle.

I’d known stress and overwhelm all my life, but as motherhood and work had piled on responsibility, they became my permanent companions. Though I’d hoped the smallholding would be a balm to this, I found the opposite. I was busier than ever – sheds to muck out, suddenly sick animals to care for, compost to move, fences to mend and slugs to battle. My children needed me, I was CEO of a small charity, I was writing a book, and trying to make new friends and keep in touch with those I’d left behind. With no spare time, inevitable mistakes felt like catastrophes.

Soon the idyll disappeared and I felt as if I was sprinting furiously behind my life as it disappeared from view.

After a year, a friend, shocked at the jitter of a woman I’d become, asked if I was unwell and I realised I was. My GP signed me off work with depression and anxiety, I started therapy and made the decision to leave my job. As 2018 came and went, somehow 2019 rolled in. The crisis came in June as I screamed and pulled up the plants I’d tended and lay The valuable art of seed-saving

Rebecca’s daughter is now a dab hand at milking the goat

life that feeds my need for change and activity, by the time I saw a psychiatrist, I was already feeling a little better.

Perfectly imperfect My dream of the good life was naive, but

RELLIHCS DERAJ ,RETSWEF EPOLENEP :SOTOHP

eight months until ‘Behind the IwithwasIt tookADHD. finally diagnosed A disorder of blissful the brain, ADHD affects differently. For photographs everyone women, an outward presentation on Instagram, high-functioning being calm, organised capable can hide the I was beginning ofandexhausting effort of life – impulsive to struggle’ disorganisation, behaviour, a struggle

on the floor unable to move. Jared begged the GP to see me and, in his office, we realised I had been having a slow breakdown. He looked up from the referral he was writing to get me some psychiatric care, and asked how I would cope in the meantime. There was only one answer – I would turn to my land, for real this time.

I worked outside, focusing on tiny seasonal shifts. I discovered ancient oaks that encircled our plot and, between netting cabbages, reading to the children and vaccinating goats, I began researching the place I was guardian of.

to concentrate on some things and hyperfocus on others, and emotional meltdowns. There are upsides too – creativity, lateral thinking and energy – yet without help, many struggle. But, thanks to the relationship I had cultivated with my land and the pull I had felt to a

I would not change it. I have discovered the missing piece in the puzzle of my brain.

Times can still be tough. This spring, seedlings were destroyed by storms and one of our goat kids was stillborn. Yet difficulties make the good times better.

The cauliflower I harvested after years of failure, watching my daughter latch the goat kid on, and hearing my son naming birds and trees – these are the moments I now live for. I have learned so much – strength, resilience and patience.

Nothing on a smallholding is ever finished or perfect, but I do work here with hope, the guiding whispers of the women who have gone before me and the feeling of the sun on my face through the old oak’s branches.

✢ Earthed by Rebecca Schiller is out now (£14.99, HB, Elliott & Thompson). womanandhome.com 43

THE WAY I AM

‘Nothing fazes menow’ Gavin & Stacey star Joanna Page, 44, lives in Berkshire with her actor husband of 17 years James Thornton and their children, Eva, eight, Kit, six, and Noah, four

What’s your earliest memory of acting?

When I was small I was really shy, but at nursery I would go straight to the dressing-up box.

I was an only child so I was always making up stories and pretending to be different characters. When I was three, I went to the Hazel Johnson School of Dance [in Treboeth, Swansea], which Catherine Zeta-Jones also attended. Then, when I was nine, my parents sent me to elocution and drama classes.

KCOTSRETTUHS/DNOMYD MOT :OTOHP .TREVLAC AMMEG :SDROW

Did you have a plan B? Never, but there’s a strong medical side to the family – my nan was a matron and my aunties worked as hospital receptionists – and at a time I wanted to be a doctor. I was very academic but I didn’t want to go to university. I said, ‘I’m going to drama school; I will become an actress. I’m not going to fall back on anything because it will happen.’ I was so confident! I got into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art [RADA] when I was 17.

What has been the best decision of your life?

Going to RADA. I was 18 when I moved to London and I’d never been away from home before that time. My parents stayed for a week to settle me in and, when they drove away, I was on the steps of my halls of residence, sobbing. Being plonked in the middle of London hugely challenged me and I soon toughened up. Now nothing fazes me. You get rejected for jobs, or you’re in a show and someone says you look fat or ugly – I honestly couldn’t care less.

How do you relax?

There is no me-time at all. Even going to the toilet, I’ve normally got a child on my back and a Spaniel sitting in front of me. The only time I get is if James takes the children to the park for a couple of hours. Once they’ve gone, I’ll sit down, do a jigsaw and drink a glass of sherry.

What’s the most special thing that you own?

A piece of fur from my Jack Russell, Daisy. I got her when I was 21, and when she died it was horrific. Even now when I think of her, it makes me cry. She was my buddy, my best friend and my child. Before we buried her in the garden, surrounded by flowers, I cut off a bit of her fur.

What’s the best thing about being married?

Companionship and being with your best friend – somebody who knows you more than anybody else in the whole world. Cwtching-up [Welsh for cuddling] together, eating food, having a drink, chatting, watching telly, and then growing old together and having all these different life experiences.

How do you normally spend your weekends?

On a Saturday, sometimes we’ll go, ‘Everybody, pyjamas on all day,’ and stay in bed for half the day. Then we’ll play board games and go for a walk with the dogs to wear them out. Then we watch Saturday night telly and order in pizzas.

What’s the best advice you have been given?

I suffer terribly from nerves and I once read that keeping moving stops you thinking about them. Last year, when I started doing my Radio Wales shows live, I was terrified, so beforehand I’d organise my interview questions, sharpen my pencils and put out my water. My parents used to say, ‘This time tomorrow, it’s all going to be over,’ so whenever I’m nervous, that’s what I think.

Is another Gavin & Stacey reunion show on the cards?

It would be lovely but goodness knows.

I wasn’t expecting the last one in the slightest. James [Corden] and Ruth [Jones] always surprise us.

✢Sunday mornings with Joanna Page is on BBC Radio Wales. Listen live or catch up any time on BBC Sounds. womanandhome.com 45

Taking the

PLUNGE Don’t sleepwalk through the years – turn your dreams into reality. Faith Archer shows you how

C

oronavirus has caused many of us to reassess what we want out of life. Lockdown has made us look at our homes, driving up property prices as homebuyers seek more space and new locations, freed by remote working. Almost a third of buyers, and one in five first-time buyers, say they want to live in a rural area, according to research by property portal Rightmove.

The pandemic has also driven career and financial changes. ‘Many people who were never able to save now can – because money is not going out on haircuts, eating out, socialising

and kids’ clubs,’ says Simonne Gnessen, director of Wise Monkey Financial Coaching and co-author of Sheconomics. ‘Others may be in financial chaos, if they have lost jobs or fallen through the gaps of state support.’ Nearly one in seven of those aged 40-67 have had to delay their retirement, while almost one in 10 have been forced to retire early, according to My Pension Expert.

The good news is that we can reinvent ourselves and enjoy exciting new opportunities. Midlife can be a brilliant time to step off the treadmill, perhaps returning to

whatever we were passionate about before raising a family, or exploring something we really care about.

‘You may have done a big chunk of your caring role, and be able to see light at the end of the tunnel,’ says Simonne.

We’ve split this roadmap to life change into three parts: career, home and finances – and they are often inextricably linked. A new job might mean moving house; switching to a different career might only be possible if you rejig your finances; and moving to a cheaper area could free up the money to take a different career direction or retire completely.

new beginnings

contract ended. We realised that by moving from London to Suffolk we could revamp our lives. By swapping Hackney for Hadleigh, we could clear our mortgage, my husband could return to working for the charity sector, and I could continue my switch to self-employment, working round school hours as a freelance writer and money blogger.

It worked for us, and a life change could work for you too. Changing your life requires asking yourself important questions and having honest conversations. But it’s possible.

Just tell yourself: it’s never too late.

ASK YOURSE

L

DOES MY LIFE MAKE ME HAPPY? Change – stepping out of your comfort zone – can be difficult.

Some may be compelled by a creeping sense of dissatisfaction, keen to do something that makes them happy for their remaining decades. Others may have change forced upon them, by redundancy, bereavement, illness or relationship breakdown.

…F

These are major changes, and, if you share your life, it’s vital to get your partner on board. ‘Have an open and honest conversation because you may be able to get through changes together,’ says Simonne. ‘It may mean you have to disclose things you haven’t discussed before, such as debt.’

My own life has been full of change, from swapping subjects at university to living in different countries, and leaving a career in strategy consulting to become a journalist for a national newspaper.

My most recent light-bulb moment came in 2014, when my husband’s

Change your home questions you

Start by thinking about where you’d love to live, both the area and the kind of property.

Do you yearn to move to a spacious home in the country, or would you actually like to move in the opposite direction? If your children have flown the nest, you might prefer to downsize to a compact pad in a city centre, with less maintenance and loads to do nearby. Maybe you really want to move closer to extended family or friends.

Alternatively, moving could be less about the house itself, more a means to an end, chasing a job or raising money.

Buying a cheaper place could potentially unlock the funds needed to retrain, start your own business, support a lower salary while you build up experience in a different career, or even retire.

Indulge in a little Rightmove and Zoopla addiction, and check what you can get for your money. Look beyond the perfect property to research the local area. Investigate schools and employment prospects

(if needed), transport links, broadband coverage and facilities. Weigh up the realities of everyday life elsewhere. For example, living surrounded by green fields means you can’t just walk down the street for a quick coffee, and may be more reliant on driving.

Focus on the long term. Moving is expensive, with mounting bills for stamp duty, surveys and solicitors. What kind of home would suit your circumstances – not just now, but many years ahead?

Review whether you really need to move at all. Could you instead invest in improving your current home and stay near your existing support network?

If you do decide to move, it may be better to make the leap sooner rather than later, while you still have the energy and enthusiasm to make new friends and explore a new community.

Once you have identified where you want to live, declutter as if your life depended on it, and transform your home ready for sale. Juggling the sale of your current property with buying a new one can be tricky, so enlist a decent estate agent and solicitor to help you to get the job done.

‘Make the leap sooner rather than later, while you still have the energy and enthusiasm’

5

need to ask before making a decision ✢ Where would you love to live,

if you could live anywhere? ✢ What do you really want from your home – space, a garden, easy maintenance, proximity to family, friends and facilities? ✢ How can you earn a living in your new des res? Will you be commuting, working from home, finding a new role locally, living on a partner’s earnings or retiring? ✢ What kind of home and location would suit your needs, not just now, but in the future? ✢ Do you need to move or could you improve your current home?

TAKE ACTION

✢ Combined info on property prices, transport links, Ofsted reports and catchment areas: locrating.com ✢ Properties for sale and rent rightmove.co.uk, zoopla.co.uk, onthemarket.com ✢ Mortgage affordability calculator moneyadviceservice.org. uk/en/tools/house-buying/ mortgage-affordability-calculator ✢ Season ticket costs nationalrail.co.uk >> womanandhome.com 47

‘In midlife, you will still have skills, ideas and experience. Put them to work in a different way’

Change your career questions you need

48 womanandhome.com

Once you have set a career goal and identified your current skills and strengths, plan how you can gain the experience to nail a new role. See if you can get started while in your current job – and on your current salary.

Perhaps you could start volunteering.

Altering your hours, to go down to four days a week, might free up time to invest in training or start your own business. Then tap into your network, talking to people to seek advice, contacts and opportunities.

If change feels overwhelming or motivation is flagging, focus on the end result. Accept that sometimes it’s not possible to put all your plans into place, and you just have to take a step into the unknown and get stuck in.

‘Draw a picture of all the components you want to create, bring it to life, and talk to people about it,’ suggests Simonne.

‘Share your passion and journey. You have no idea where it might lead you, and what offers you might get.’

5

to ask before making a decision

✢What do you really love doing, and could you make it into a career? ✢What has made you successful so far? ✢How could you use those skills and strengths in different ways? ✢What can you do while in your current job to help with your career change? ✢ How can you get experience?

TAKE ACTION

✢ Careers guidance and skills nationalcareers.service.gov.uk ✢ Boost your CV online linkedin.com ✢ Career change careershifters.org ✢ Free courses futurelearn.com, coursera.org ✢ Voluntary roles volunteeringmatters. org.uk, reachvolunteering.org.uk, doit.life ✢ Setting up a business gov.uk/business-support-helpline

YTTEG :SOTOHP

This is your opportunity to step back and consider some big questions. What is important to you? What is your bigger purpose?

Suddenly stopping a career that you’ve had for the past few decades doesn’t have to be the end of the line.

Instead, it’s a chance for reinvention.

You might want to improve your work-life balance, pursue a new career or ditch your job altogether.

Making the move might involve transforming a hobby or side hustle into a day job, retraining in a different area, giving back to society or pursuing creative opportunities.

To make the switch, Eleanor Mills, founder of noon.org.uk, a media platform to empower women in midlife, suggests, ‘Review the things that made you successful. In midlife, you will still have skills, ideas, experience, energy, a network and community. Think about how to put them to work in a different way.’

Change your finances

Tackling money issues and improving your finances can really pay off, bringing freedom, choice and a comfortable retirement.

Money is often cited as a barrier to change, and it can be hard to charge off in a different direction if you are hamstrung by bills. Switching career frequently involves a drop in income while you get established, whether you are retraining, starting at a lower level in a completely new area or launching a business. So if you want to make major life changes, work out how much money you need to make it happen, check what you have right now, and plan how to bridge the gap.

‘Spring-clean your finances, working out what you have in terms of assets, and any liabilities.

What are the habits and behaviours you might need to change?’ says Simonne.

If you don’t have a handy lump sum, focus on raising funds from different sources.

Creating a clear goal could inspire you to switch household expenses to better deals, slash other spending, take on a second job and use side hustles to top up your income.

Nearly one in five people aged 50 and over earn extra cash from something other than their main job, and 78% of them do so without leaving the house, according to research by insurer SunLife.

The most popular side hustles include selling items on internet sites such as eBay and Facebook, completing surveys and letting out property. It’s also worth planning ahead; for example, remortgaging and applying for credit cards with interest-free offers while you still have payslips from your current job and a decent credit record.

In an ideal world, you can pay down debt and build up savings before making a big leap. But sometimes you don’t have the luxury of time to prepare. You may need to think more creatively.

‘Taking a mortgage holiday, raiding an Individual Savings Account (ISA) intended for other purposes, or opting for voluntary redundancy could provide

the reserves to tide you over for a few months,’ suggests Simonne.

Then consider the future, and how your income and spending may change. Draw up a budget to see how you can afford your new life. If you become self-employed, you may continue to need a cushion of savings, to cope with erratic income. On the flip side, if you switch to working from home, your living costs may be lower.

If you are looking forward to the most expensive financial change – retirement, seek help. Get free guidance from the Government’s PensionWise, and consider paying for independent financial advice.

5

‘Just tell questions need yourself: to askyoubefore it’s never making decision too late’ a✢What are my financial

goals? It could be anything from funding a new career to retirement. ✢How much money do I need to make changes, and how can I raise it? ✢What is my financial position right now, in terms of savings to tap into and debts to tackle? ✢Which money habits and behaviours might I need to change? ✢How will my costs and income change in my new life?

TAKE ACTION

✢ Budget planner moneysavingexpert.com/banking/ budget-planning ✢ Compare bills and financial products moneysupermarket.com, gocompare.com, moneyfacts.co.uk, comparethemarket.com ✢ Debt help nationaldebtline.org, stepchange.org, citizensadvice.org.uk ✢ Find a financial adviser unbiased.co.uk, vouchedfor.co.uk ✢ Free government pension guidance pensionwise.gov.uk

new beginnings

MY EXPERIENCE ‘I’ve rediscovered the things that matter’

ELEANOR MILLS, former editorial director of The Sunday Times Magazine, has been upfront about her own experience after turning 50 and leaving the role that was the bedrock of her identity.

She has now launched noon.org.uk, a platform and community to empower women in midlife.

‘When my previous career came to an abrupt end, I was in a dark place.

Now, I’m the director of my own company, and I love it. I worked for a huge organisation for 23 years, and couldn’t action broader, more commercial ideas, without going through 10 different committees.

As an entrepreneur, I can just do something that day, if my co-founder and I agree. I’ve rediscovered the things that matter and feel happier than I have for 20 years.’

‘Now, I am in control of my schedule’

JO HOGGER says being made redundant at 51, after decades working in telecoms and IT, was the springboard for her to change her career.

After applying for well over 100 jobs in her previous area, Jo was starting to lose confidence, so decided to turn her love for floristy into a business, did an online diploma and several training courses, and set up Grave Tending and Flowers by Jo. She also hosts Airbnb guests at her home in Suffolk and volunteers for Cruse, the bereavement charity.

‘Before, I was expected to be available 24/7, in a very stressful role.

Now, I am in control of my schedule and can work around my life. My past experience has helped hugely, but I’m also constantly learning new skills, such as marketing, accountancy and communications. I may not earn as much as in the corporate world, but I am so much happier.’ womanandhome.com 49

AMAZING WOMEN

AWARDS 2021 You’ll be inspired by this month’s three nominees in the Don’t Tell Me I Can’t… category, plus celebrities who pull out all the stops for charity

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e’ve been bowled over by the nominations for our Amazing Women Awards, and this month, we celebrate the three finalists in two categories. Don’t Tell Me I Can’t… celebrates women who, through determination and grit, have notched up incredible achievements and made a difference to others, in spite of their personal struggles. Celebrities Doing Good shines a light on women who are using their fame to raise valuable awareness for great causes.

Look out for next month’s issue of woman&home, where we’ll share the shortlists of the community heroines voted for by you from five regions: Scotland & Northern Ireland; North East, North West & Yorkshire; Wales & West Midlands; East Midlands & East Anglia; and South West & South East. Who will you vote for?

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DON’T TELL ME I CAN’T… …FIGHTAGEISM

Psyche Thompson, 53, is a presenter and actress whose credits include Holby City and Silent Witness.

A growing influencer on social media – with her YouTube channel amassing thousands of views and followers over the past 12 months – she is on a mission to change perceptions within society and the media about age.

Psyche says, ‘Society is so image-led nowadays, that everyone seems to think you should be on the scrapheap by the time you’re 50. I have a growing social media following, which I’m using to spread positive messages and show that how old you are is irrelevant, and most definitely not a barrier to growth and achievement. I used to believe

the problem began with “the suits” at the top, so I would talk to high-level executives about unhelpful labelling and pigeonholing, but women put limitations on themselves too. I’m here to help women question this and change their mindset.

Women contact me from around the world and I answer every message in order to offer positive advice and support. That might be a quick chat or something more practical, such as helping set up work experience for people who want a new direction.

When women say, “I can’t do this because I’m too old, too fat or I’m black,” I help them see that this isn’t the case at all.’

…BECOME A BODYBUILDING GURU Angela Middleton MBE, 58, began weight-training in 2019 and has now entered her first bodybuilding competition.

She has also created a bespoke programme, Your Body Means Business, to help others smash their fitness and business goals.

A serial entrepreneur and recruitment guru, Angela’s companies have generated £100 million in her career.

Known as ‘The Careers Queen’, she also runs the podcast IWant2BA. Angela says, ‘I’d always been a healthy eater and active, but as I entered my 50s, I felt everything was going downhill. The tipping point came in 2019 – my father died, my ex-husband was poorly and I felt really low. My adult son was home from America and had a very specific food and weight-training regime. I wanted

AMAZING WOMEN AWARDS

2021

to know more, so he introduced me to his trainer.

It was hugely daunting walking into the gym where hulking guys hauled huge weights. “I can’t do that,” I said to the trainer. “Yes you can,” he replied. For the first few weeks, my inner voice did its best to sabotage things, but after a couple of months, I could see my body was dramatically changing shape.

It turns out we all have a set of abs and lovely muscles, it’s just that usually we walk around with a thin duvet of fat covering them up. I’ve learnt that you can change that at any time. Three years on, I look and feel better than ever.

People were so fascinated by my transformation that I built a programme to help others be the best versions of themselves, starting with health and fitness.’

‘I’ve learnt that you can change at any time’

…BE A TRAILBLAZINGBesides MAYOR being the first female

Mimi Harker OBE, 55, has been a district councillor in Buckinghamshire for 16 years, and was the first female Asian Mayor of Amersham between 2011 and 2013.

She campaigns to improve her local area, preserving catchment areas, saving Post Offices, conserving the green belt, and has an OBE for services to her local community and to women from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Mimi says, ‘Everyone told me I couldn’t get into local politics – because of my background, age and being a mum. They were wrong. Like most women, I can juggle family and work commitments, and I wanted to do all I could to improve the community I’ve lived in for three decades.

Asian mayor in Amersham, I have also been vice-chair and then chair of the district council I still serve. My first successful campaign involved halting parking charges in an area where they would have killed retail businesses. I’m also proud of having introduced the Silver Sunday scheme to celebrate elderly residents and help them re-engage with the community.

Most recently, I founded the Bucks BAME Network, providing a voice to BAME organisations in the area. Local politics is still a male-dominated realm, but women often just need encouragement to get involved.

All you need to succeed is the drive to want to make a difference’. >>

‘With drive, we can all make a difference’

womanandhome.com 51

CELEBRITIES DOING GOOD IMELDA STAUNTON, CRISIS The work Crisis

SUSIE DENT, GUIDE DOGS Susie Dent, 56, is an author,

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MEERA SYAL, ALZHEIMER’S Actor, comedian and writer Meera

Syal CBE, 59, has been working with Alzheimer’s Society, the UK’s leading dementia charity, since 2013.

Alzheimer’s Society works tirelessly to challenge perceptions, fund research, and improve and provide care and support.

does is year-round and it’s astonishing.

Whenever I go into a centre and see hundreds of people, I feel ashamed, not personally, but of this country, for allowing homelessness to be so rife. The problem runs deep, it’s about the lack of social housing – there has to be affordable, habitable housing. People don’t want much – heat, running water and somewhere that’s not riddled with damp or about to collapse. I’m not a politician, but, as with most actors, we know what our worth is in terms of our public platform and if that helps, it’s great.’ ✢ To get involved in the latest campaign, visit crisis.org.uk/ stayawake Meera says, ‘My father was diagnosed with vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease in 2012. He passed away in September 2018, but the support we received from Alzheimer’s Society was invaluable, particularly from the advisors on the dementia connect support line.

In 2013, I reached out to the charity to see if I could help and to make sure people know that support is available.

Being an ambassador gives me an enormous sense of pride. I was one of the first in the country to become a dementia friend, launching the campaign with my good friend and fellow ambassador, Jo Brand. There are now over four million dementia friends across the country, which is fantastic. I also enjoy taking part in various fundraising activities, and this year I’ve signed up for Trek26, which I’m really excited about. I am determined to give all I’ve got to make a difference.

Hundreds of thousands of families in the UK are impacted by dementia, and they shouldn’t face this alone or without support.’ ✢To get support or get involved, visit alzheimers.org.uk

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lexicographer and presenter on Countdown. She became involved with Guide Dogs in 2019 when she worked on the Powers of Description campaign, which encouraged the public to volunteer to become a My Sighted Guide.

Susie continues to raise awareness for the charity, which is completely reliant upon donations and legacies.

Guide Dogs exists to support adults and children with sight loss to live the life they choose, thanks to expert advice, dedicated volunteers and staff, and life-changing dogs.

Susie says, ‘We have been welcoming a Countdown audience member, Craig, and his guide dog, Bruce, to the studio for many years now. Through Craig I’ve come to appreciate the enormous difference that Bruce has made to his life, so when I was approached by Guide Dogs to do the training and raise awareness of the My Guide service, I jumped at the chance. It enables sighted volunteers to guide those with sight loss through new environments, and to increase opportunities for social interaction. I can’t recommend the work they do highly enough, and I have also seen just how loved these animals are.’ ✢ To donate or get involved, visit guidedogs.org.uk

Imelda Staunton, 65, is a multi-awardwinning actor. Since 2011, she has supported and volunteered with Crisis, the national charity for the homeless, appearing in a film to promote the Christmas appeal.

Crisis works side by side with people experiencing all forms of homelessness, offering education, training and support with housing, employment and health.

Imelda says, ‘I’d been donating for years after seeing an advert about Crisis at Christmas, but three years ago, my family volunteered at a Crisis centre on Boxing Day. I rolled my sleeves up and got stuck in. It’s not just a meal they offer, guests who attend the centres can access all the things they need – a hairdresser, a chiropodist or a doctor.

We’ve returned to volunteer since and I’ve also been involved with campaigning and fundraising.

‘Every day it’s a miracle that we’re here’ WHAT I’VE LEARNED

Bridgerton star Adjoa Andoh, 58, lives in London with her husband, Howard Cunnell, and family The greatest lesson I’ve learned in life is to make no judgements about people until you’ve spent time with them. I think we’re so preprogrammed to have a certain opinion about somebody. A person is a person and they’re really interesting – they will have had challenges in their lives, and they will have had joys in their lives.

NOSRAHUQRAF AIGROEG :SDROW

Being a mum to a transgender child has taught me that each soul is unique. A child that was born into one gender, but has absolutely ever since they were a toddler been very clearly leaning in a different gender direction and has now fully realised that – that child resonates exactly the same to me both ways. The soul of a person is unique to them and is unchangeable. The damage we do when we try to stop them thriving, socially as a society and individually within families, is unconscionable and we have to stop it.

I can’t say what being a woman has taught me because I’ve never been a man. It’s not so much about what life has taught me as a woman, but more what life has taught me about other people’s perception of me as a woman. You have to find your voice. We all have to

and the world may have a different perspective for you.

Living life in the limelight has taught me not to shout at your children in Sainsbury’s… save it until you get to the car park! You have to have an eye on good behaviour and an eye on walking the walk. If you’re going to bang on about something, you better be living what you speak so you don’t dilute what you’ve said.

Also, I remember going to a big opening of a movie in Leicester Square, red carpet and all that, and getting home and the dog had been sick. So you’re there in your posh frock, scooping up dog sick. There’s nothing more grounding than that.

understand that we’re not the same en masse, just because we have a womb and breasts.

My career has taught me stamina.

And to learn to have the courage to say what you truly think. Like I said, walk in someone else’s shoes for five minutes

You have to understand that we’re here for a blink of an eye. It’s a miracle that we exist at all. Every day is a miracle that we’re here – we should enjoy the miraculousness of life. We could be gone in 10 seconds.

When you die, what has your life been? Did you live in the moment or were you chasing after stuff all the time? Will you be remembered with kindness or will people be thinking, ‘Thank goodness they’ve gone’?

✢ Adjoa will play the part of Nenneke in Season 2 of hit Netflix fantasy drama The Witcher. womanandhome.com 53

‘myI turned off husband’s LIFE SUPPORT’ In 2019, Trudi Austin’s life was turned upside-down in just 24 hours

B

ob was my soulmate – I knew we were destined to be together when we met in 1995. I was 23 and had moved to Penrith straight after university for a job in marketing.

Bob was one of my customers and, even though he was 12 years older than me, we hit it off immediately because he had a magnetic, fun 54 womanandhome.com

personality. We got married on 31 August 1997.

In 2006, after my parents died within six months of one another, we moved back to my childhood home in Preston.

By then, we had two children – eightyear-old Jess and six-year-old Mikey.

Bob worked tirelessly as we got stuck into renovating the house to make it our own. We had another new beginning

as I found out I was pregnant again, with Maisie, who was born in 2007.

Bob and I were an amazing team.

He was a stay-at-home dad to our three children, while I travelled the country as a marketing and sales manager. He loved taking care of the kids. Before our first was born, he jokingly said that as long as he could have Sky Sports, he’d be happy.

He had a heart of gold and knew me

the honest truth

inside out – he could always help me see the lighter side of things when I was under stress.

As Maisie approached secondary school age, Bob took a job in retail, so he could help contribute towards Jess’ university expenses. He was such a hilarious character, and colleagues and customers adored him.

On 31 August 2019, our 22nd wedding anniversary, I was up in Glasgow for customer meetings. Bob sent me a ‘Happy Anniversary’ text at 1.30am, which was the last message I ever got from him. He’d not been well the week before with a stomach upset, but hadn’t made a fuss.

He had been to work that day because he was feeling a bit better, so I wasn’t unduly worried. At 58, Bob hadn’t been to the doctor in years.

Overnight, however, Bob’s tummy pain had worsened. I received a flurry of messages from 21-year-old Jess and her boyfriend just after 5am, saying they’d called an ambulance, despite Bob’s protests. As soon as the paramedics arrived, they could tell he had severe internal bleeding. They rushed him to the Royal Preston Hospital, while I made a panicked dash back down the motorway.

When I arrived, we were told it wasn’t looking hopeful. Bob’s internal bleeding was a key symptom of a severe attack of

undiagnosed diverticulitis, and it had turned into sepsis. Bob’s mother had been diagnosed with diverticulitis more than 10 years previously, but her condition was well managed and we didn’t know it could be hereditary.

His organs were failing, and the medics were struggling to stabilise him by putting him on kidney dialysis. His brain had been starved of oxygen for more than 12 minutes, so even if a miracle happened and he survived, he would be permanently, severely brain-damaged.

I was able to be with Bob, but he was in a coma. Soon, the family gathered – Mikey and Maisie, then aged 19 and 12, Bob’s mum, and his brothers and sister. It was hard for them to see him lying there with all those tubes and machines attached to him.

As day turned to night, the consultant explained there was nothing more they could do. Bob had fought as best he could, but it was his time. Making the decision to remove life support was unbearably tough. Bob was my world, but there were no signs things were going to improve – I had to let him die with dignity.

The medics switched each machine off, one by one. I didn’t want to see the flatline screen because I didn’t want to

‘I feel incredibly lucky to have spent 25 years of my life with my soulmate’

NITSUA IDURT ,YMALA :)SLEDOM YB DESOP EGAMI NIAM( SOTOHP .GNIWE HARAS :SDROW

know exactly when he died. The children decided they would prefer happier memories of their father than witness his final moments, so they spoke to Bob through an intercom, saying, ‘Dad, we love you.’ Within seconds, he was gone.

The team at the hospital were wonderful and treated us so sensitively throughout our whole ordeal, but it hit me hard. Local friends and family, especially my brother, were phenomenal.

The crematorium was packed with family, friends and all Bob’s colleagues.

He was a lifelong Man City fan and because we knew he’d appreciate it, we incorporated their colours in a paper aeroplane in the middle of the order of service, and released them en masse after the funeral. We also raised a lot of money for the local air ambulance with a collection.

I didn’t take as long off work as I probably should have in retrospect, but work kept me from thinking about the gaping hole that Bob had left. After being made redundant during lockdown, I was offered a new job as the head of sales at Creative Nature Superfoods.

Bob and I had been looking forward to spending more time together as a couple, but my vision for the future changed in an instant the day he died.

Birthdays and anniversaries have been especially hard, but my brother has been my rock, as have my children.

Even though Bob is gone, I feel incredibly lucky that I got to spend 25 years of my life with my soulmate.

✢ You can find out more about diverticulitis at gutscharity.org.uk womanandhome.com 55

Success at the SEASIDE BRAND NEW DIRECTIONS

Life is a beach for these women, whose businesses are thriving beside the sea

‘My beach huts provide a taste of nostalgia’

Vicky Gunn, 42, from Carnoustie, north-east Scotland, started a beach hut side hustle in 2015 that rapidly turned into a thriving venture.

THE IDEA

In September 2014, I was living in Witham in Essex and, having spent three months working away from home during the week, was completely burnt out. Spending the day at a beach hut at Walton-on-the-Naze with my springer spaniel, Millie, was a breath of fresh air. The hut was in a new development and I noticed some were for sale. I’d always wanted to run a business of some sort, and the idea to buy one and hire it out was irresistible. With some savings built up, and having done some research, I did some quick sums to see

Buying a beach hut to hire out just felt right for Vicky

TOP TIP

Be brutally honest about your skill set and whether your business idea matches it.

Vicky put a lot of time into planning the style of the huts thought about the look, and chose a colourful, retro style. Once my beach hut was fully kitted out, I started posting on social media, welcoming my first guests in March 2015. I worked hard on my branding, treating it as a business rather WHAT HAPPENED NEXT than just a fun project. It was so popular At first I planned to run my beach hut hire that, a couple of months later, I bought as a sideline. Naming my brand after Millie, the plot next door. Soon we were sold out, I had a basic website built, and things took with both huts booked months in advance. off fast. There was a real taste for nostalgia, BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT with people taking their families to visit I realised that with only so many summer beaches they’d loved as kids. I really days in the year, I needed to either raise capital for more huts or find another way to generate income. So I started a styling and management service for other beach-hut owners, via Millie’s Huts, so visitors can hire their huts through me. if I could cover my costs. One post on Facebook asking whether I should buy one and I had all the validation I needed.

I decided to put the £500 deposit down on a £12,500 beach hut. It just felt right.

STEEPEST LEARNING CURVE I underestimated the impact of beach-hut hire on private owners of surrounding huts wanting a quiet break. I’ve since sold my original huts and bought others on a more laid-back council site.

WHERE I AM NOW

I have a small waiting list of owners interested in my managed service, and I’m having a new website built to start marketing for a whole range of services for beach hut owners. I’m also looking into expanding my business outside Essex. >> BUSINESS BREAKDOWN Start-up costs: £30,350 Comprising…

Two huts £25,000 Contents, decor and key locks £3,500 Website £250 Branding £1,600 Initial recurring costs: Licence fee £400 a year for each hut Insurance (including public liability) £140 per hut Current turnover: £50,000-£60,000 Projected: £100,000 milliesbeachhuts.co.uk womanandhome.com 57

brand new directions

‘Women feel beautiful in my swimwear’ alive. I’ve always loved doing arty things, so I took a degree in Contour Fashion as a mature student, graduating at 32.

Funding myself with savings from my part-time job at a supermarket, I started my own lingerie brand, Louise Ferdinand Lingerie. I made bespoke garments at my kitchen table for all sizes, but the prices I was charging meant it was impossible to make a living. Then through networking, I found a business mentor and it was thanks to them that I decided to focus on one niche – swimwear.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

became clear and I hit my stride.

I founded More Than Swim because I was tired of never seeing people like me looking happy in beautiful swimsuits.

I set about creating a collection that I knew would look gorgeous on everybody, from size 6-32, with bespoke hand-illustrated designs. While I used to make the clothes on my sewing machine under the stairs at my mum’s house, I started outsourcing them to a factory in London, hand-finishing, packing and sending them to my clients myself. I kept production in the UK to maintain a small carbon footprint, using eco-friendly and ethical manufacturing practices.

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT

To get more savvy, I did a business Inevitably, COVID and its impact on Sandra Palmer, 46, from Birmingham, course with coach Ali Mapletoft holidays caused a drop in sales, but turned her artistic and tailoring skills (ali-mapletoft.mykajabi.com). Then I reached out to the wild swimming into a bathing suit manufacturing I launched my unisex swimwear community and gifted them some business, More Than Swim, in 2017. collection as a finalist at the bathing suits. This has meant some Midlands Fashion awards in 2017, great exposure for my brand THE IDEA and in February 2020, via their Instagram posts.

My Jamaican dad was a tailor. As a young I rebranded as a femalegirl, I used to watch as he cut patterns focused swimwear brand, STEEPEST and sewed Savile Row-worthy trousers More Than Swim. This LEARNING Write down your core and school uniforms on his Singer sewing was when my mission CURVE values and always reflect When I started out machine. When he on those when you’re in the lingerie world, passed away, I wanted Sandra’s planning your business I had underwear made to keep Dad’s legacy swimwear strategy. at a factory abroad, but features the underwiring they used handwas really cheap, meaning illustrated the garments were wasted. I realised designs that cutting corners to stay cheap is a false economy.

TOP TIP

WHERE I AM NOW

I’m planning on introducing new prints, including whale and seal designs, and clothing such as skater dresses, loungewear and leggings. I’ve also designed a T-shirt with ‘I’m a More Than Swim Tribe girl’ to boost brand loyalty.

BUSINESS BREAKDOWN Start-up costs: £1,820 Comprising…

Materials and samples £600 Website and photography £500 Business support £720 Current turnover: £3,000 Projected (post-COVID): £12,000 morethanswim.com

TOP TIP

Find extra ways of making revenue, such as online courses and packages.

Sarah didn’t expect her fitness classes to become so popular sports therapy at university, but I’d got sidetracked in my career, working for a training company. But now, rediscovering my love of fitness coaching, I found more women were asking to join our group, or just turning up after spotting us on their morning run. After a while, at my friends’ insistence, I started charging for the classes, and Beach Club Sobo was born.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT

I was amazed to find that my growing group wanted to continue throughout the winter months. That’s when I knew I had a proper business on my hands, and got a website built so clients could sign up for classes. I started going to local networking groups and signed up for free Women’s movement coach Sarah business training on a GetSet For Growth Scudamore, 39, from Bournemouth, programme. I couldn’t run classes during started beach fitness sessions with lockdown, but when it was lifted in friends in March 2018. Beach Club summer 2020, people were so keen to get Sobo quickly became a success. fit that the classes just grew. Due to social distancing rules, I could only have five THE IDEA people in the class, so all summer I was I live near the seven-mile stretch of golden running three or four classes back to back, sand at Bournemouth, and would exercise almost every day of the week. with friends at sunrise, using the seashore BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT and promenade for our workouts. The In 2019, we went travelling round Europe combined impact of exercise, fresh air and the mental benefits of being by the for five months as a family. I uploaded videos of the exercises to my site so my water was so uplifting. In the past, I’d trained as a fitness instructor and studied clients could keep fit, and when we got

‘Using the beach is so uplifting’

BUSINESS BREAKDOWN Start-up costs: £1,430 Comprising…

Website £800 Membership log-in £120 Exercise equipment £150 Legal fees and insurance £100 Video hosting £160 Leaflets and logos £100 Current turnover: £28,000 Projected: £48,000 mumologymovement.com back they were all waiting for classes to resume. The interruption had done nothing to lessen their popularity.

STEEPEST LEARNING CURVE The day I posted on my community Facebook group about a class and had 400 comments to respond to, I realised I needed a website with a booking system.

YHPARGOTOHP NAMDER MOT ,RORRIM YLIAD/NOEL DNALOR ,YRREHC ELAD ,REKLAW EVILC :SOTOHP .KSAG ANIRAM :SDROW

WHERE I AM NOW

I’ve launched a membership, providing online classes as well as support with nutrition, mindset and motivation. I need to make sure there are services for members whether or not we can get to the beach.

SMART with money

your finances

Faith Archer’s top tips on how to spend smarter – and save money – this month

Treat yourself Beauty Pie is a luxury

Thrifty trick If you’ve built up a credit

YTTEG ,YMALA :SOTOHP

card debt, save hundreds by moving it over to a balancetransfer card with an interestfree offer. By avoiding interest, your repayments will reduce the debt more quickly.

Around 54% of credit card balances rack up interest, according to UK Finance (ukfinance.org.uk).

Cardholders with the average balance of £2,177 could save a whopping £676 in interest by shifting to a card that charges 0% for 21 months, says Totally Money (totallymoney.com).

Seize the chance to pay off the balance during the interest-free offer, before the rate rises afterwards, or be prepared to switch again once the offer finishes. Set a reminder so you know when the interest-free period ends.

And resist buying anything with a balance-transfer card, as they often charge chunky interest on new borrowing.

beauty product buyers’ club that offers unbranded make-up, scent, hair and skincare products from the same suppliers as the world’s leading brands – but for a fraction of the price.

For example, you can snap up retinol eye cream for £11.66 rather than £75, or luxe lipsticks for £6.76 rather than £25.

You pay a monthly or annual membership fee to join and each monthly level has a spending limit.

Make the most of your membership by starting with the higher £10 or £20 a month premium, when you might want to buy more, then dropping to £5 a month. Minimum membership is for three months; see beautypie.com

NEED TO KNOW

Half of women over 50 don’t hold any investments beyond pensions at work, according to research by digital wealth manager Nutmeg.

Women’s finances have been disproportionately harmed by the pandemic – and investing can help make our money work harder. Savings accounts just won’t cut it, with interest bumping along at rock-bottom rates. In contrast, global stock markets have returned 10% a year on average, over the past 18 years, according to number crunching by investment platform AJ Bell.

Kat Mann from Nutmeg says, ‘It’s not too late to start.

If you’re confident shopping around for insurance and energy bills, and managing household money, you probably know more than you think and should have the confidence to step into investing.’

Half of women over 50 said a shortage of funds was the biggest barrier to them putting more into investments. But if you have money to spare after bills, debts and emergency savings, investment accounts from the likes of Wealthify, evestor and Moneybox can be opened with as little as £1.

This month I’m… Booking travel in ‘incognito’

mode. Ever returned to a website to book flights or a hotel, and discovered a higher price? Some firms use the tracking tool called cookies to remember what you looked at online and then hike prices accordingly. Protect yourself by opening a new ‘incognito’ window before searching.

Depending on whether you’re using Windows or a Mac, control/command + shift + n does the trick.

For more money-saving tips visit Faith’s blog at muchmorewithless.co.uk

&

FASHION BEAUTY

If you do one thing this month

BOOST YOUR MOOD IN BRIGHTS ✢ Embrace colour this summer in bold hues that are guaranteed to make you smile. ✢ Pack a style punch in a printed midi dress.

The fit-and-flare shape accentuates the waist and skims over thighs for a flattering fit that will take you from day to night effortlessly. ✢ Ditch dull swimwear for warm tones that will brighten the complexion, while the wrap detail and ruched front smooths and shapes. ✢ The finishing touch?

A stylish straw sun hat.

Dress, £110, sizes 6-22, boden.co.uk; swimsuit, £59, sizes 6-18, Mint Velvet at next.co.uk; hat, £26, monsoon. co.uk

ENIVRI NAIS :OTOHP .TTOCLIHC YLEOJ DNA EROOM ALUAP :GNILYTS DNA SDROW

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LUXE LINEN

✢ When it comes to trousers this summer, the wider the better, and this lightweight pair will elongate legs. ✢ Stock up on floaty printed blouses that you can pair with jeans, tuck into midi skirts or team with relaxed-fit trousers. ✢ A timeless trilby hat never goes out of style.

This page: Top, £49, sizes xs-xxl, monsoon.co.uk; trousers, £30, sizes 4-18, asos. com; shoes, £49, Clarks at kaleidoscope.co.uk; hat, £48, freepeople.com; bracelet, £135, astleyclarke.com

MIRROR FINISH ✢ There’s no need to shy

away from embellishment, even if your outfit is printheavy. Metallic detailing will add a luxe feel. ✢ Keep to collarless jackets for a streamlined look, flattering for those with a fuller bust. ✢A block heel adds height while remaining comfortable.

Opposite page: Jacket, £119, sizes s-xl, east.co.uk; dress, £119, sizes xs-xl, anthropologie.com; shoes, £50, monsoon.co.uk; earrings, £7, accessorize.com >>

Garden party

fashion inspiration

Embrace your inner bohemian with floral frocks, paisley prints and floaty fabrics… they’ll make summer dressing a breeze

womanandhome.com 65

FROCK STAR

✢ If you add anything to your wardrobe this season, make it a do-it-all dress – we guarantee it will become your summer saviour. ✢ The floaty shape in a floral print combines comfort and style, while the bell sleeves are perfect for those conscious of upper arms. The high-neck style with ruffled bib detail adds volume, and works well for those with a smaller bust. ✢ Keep accessories neutral in tans or creams to avoid unnecessary fuss.

Dress, £340, sizes xs-l, seraphinalondon.com; shoes, £40, next.co.uk; earrings, £115, astleyclarke.com

fashion inspiration

FLARE FOR FASHION ✢ Give a nod to the 70s with a

paisley print blouse tucked into high-waisted flared jeans. ✢ The mix of print sizes in muted tones on the loose fit shirt creates a slimming optical effect. ✢ Elevate the look with metallic accessories.

Top, £98, sizes xs-xl, anthropologie.com; jeans, £65, sizes xxs-xxl, stories.com; shoes, £27, accessorize.com; moonstone ring, £130, and gold ring, £150, both astleyclarke.com

GET SHIRTY

✢ Lightweight cover-ups can occasionally be a little boxy, so try this shirt-jacket hybrid with a belt that creates more shape. ✢ Mix textures by pairing structured faux leather with a floaty full skirt for a modern take on the boho trend. ✢ Pair the voluminous skirt with a fitted top to balance proportions.

Jacket, £48, sizes 6-22, next.co.uk; top, £49, sizes 6-24, monsoon.co.uk; skirt, £90, sizes 6-22, boden.co.uk; shoes, £95, dunelondon.com; rings, as before >> womanandhome.com 67

fashion inspiration

MOC.MARTNOTPALC :OT SKNAHT HTIW .EIZZIL :LEDOM LAER .TRUOC EIZZIL :PU-EKAM & RIAH .DROFMUM YNAFFIT :SOTOHP .NADROIR’O RENIOJ YKCEB :YB DETSISSA .MAHDOOW ANNA :GNILYTS

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DEPENDABLE DENIM ✢ A jumpsuit is a reliable

option that makes dressing easy. A denim all-in-one looks great rolled up at the leg, so there’s no need to worry about lengths. ✢ Brighten your complexion by tying a chic neck scarf in complementing colours. ✢ Crochet bags are perfect for adding a natural feel.

Opposite page: Jumpsuit, £52, sizes 6-22, next.co.uk; shoes, £130, vionicshoes.co.uk; scarf, £9.50, marksandspencer.com; bag, £36, laredoute.co.uk

FLOWER POWER ✢ Statement earrings

complement high-neck styles. ✢ A vintage print is the go-to garden-party style. ✢A pair of suede sliders will take you from day to night.

This page: Dress, £168, sizes s-l, meadows-store.com; shoes, £27, and earrings, £8, both accessorize.com; bangle, £195, astleyclarke.com; rings, as before

Blouse, £98, and jeans, £89, both sizes 4-18; earrings, £29; bracelet, £35, all thewhite company.com

8-16, £50, sizeinss.co.uk greatpla

es 6-24, £29.50d, ssizpencer.com marksan

BREEZY BLOUSES ✢ Loose-fit tops in lightweight

fabrics will keep you cool and comfortable, while looking chic. ✢ Longer sleeves are great if you’re conscious of upper arms, and the relaxed necklines work well for a fuller bust too. m o .c e -onlin 6-18, jigsaw £98, sizes

s e t a r a p e s n o i t a tayc

getaway t c e f r e p e s for th y u b e v a h t ith mus w le y t s d n omfort a c e in b STYLE o C GS OF STYneLw Elease TIP

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a pper. r arm candy ✢ Give ywoituh an oversizednshabole, look e of lif al and fashio at will ✢ Functiaoonr woven designstsothring all for raffi any outfit while . elevate your essentials

.com £25.99, zara 70 womanandhome.com

Team a patterned tote with a minimal outfit.

ue.com £155, uterq .com £99, hobbs

Dress, £120, sizes 6-22, boden.co.uk

Swimsuit, £59, sizes 4-18, and hat, £98, both thewhite company.com

feel good fashion

HAT TRICK ✢ Try a floppy style for a

✢ Whether you’re heading to the coast or a country pub garden, a timeless sun hat will be your fashion friend for years to come.

laid-back feel or a more structured design when you’re dressing for a formal affair.

com theoutnet. t a n n a rm e £190, Zimm

com £29, arket.

ngo.com £19.99, ma

SUMMER STAPLES ✢ Don’t get stuck in a jeans

rut, summer calls for a swap to casual chinos in neutral hues. ✢ Flat-fronted, cropped, tapered or belted, these flattering trousers work for all body shapes.

t .pilgrim.ne £39.99, gb erry.com £190, mulb

STYLE TIP Team with a blazer

ndtate.com £100, acea

if you want to smarten up your chinos.

TTOCLIHC YLEOJ :YB DELIPMOC

land.com £16, riveris

SPECS APPEAL ✢ No summer trip is complete without a pair of tonal sunglasses. ✢ Experiment with coloured frames that complement your complexion.

o.uk -22, next.c 6 s e iz s , 2 £2

om cosstores.c , 8 -1 6 s e iz £69, s

es 8-22, £129.95le, sinize.co.uk made womanandhome.com 71

Shop the TRENDS Amber Graafland pins down the smartest ways to buy your way back into summer style

I

72 womanandhome.com

NIAMLAB

f ever there was a time to shop smart, it’s now.

Summer is here, our social lives have finally left the sofa and work no longer consists of endless Zoom calls.

Trawling online for nice tops and statement earrings got us this far. Now it’s time to build a wardrobe that also makes sense from the waist down.

And while the word trend may have been relegated to the deepest recesses of our minds, what we all need is a bit of newness. Things that scream summer 2021 and laugh in the face of FROM 2020. Sweatpants and RUNWAY house slippers be gone.

TO YOU Our eyes are fixed firmly on the finer things in life, like dresses and actual shoes, with heels.

I’m confident a strategic spot of shopping and a handful of well-chosen pieces in the season’s key colours, like yellow or green, will say, the future, and her catwalk ‘I’m back. I have legs. I’m out. interpretation of what I’m I’ve got this.’ calling the new smart casual.

Which leaves the burning Combining pleated skirts question, what to buy? Having with hoodies, this means been in actual shops, I can we can utilise at least one 100% confirm a whole host piece of the loungewear of new trends are going on we invested in so heavily, out there. What I’m liking and team it with a chic new is Miuccia Prada’s vision for purchase. And breathe.

Smyth ponte blazer, £98, Hampshire ponte 7/8 trousers, £65, both sizes 6-22, Boden; stripy sweatshirt, £25, sizes 6-22, trainers, £29.50, both M&S

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1

TO THE MAX Who doesn’t love a maxi

dress? These floaty, floor-sweeping creations appeared on the runway at Valentino, Dior, Ferretti, Erdem and Michael Kors.

There are a million reasons why you should invest in this trend, versatility being the main one. They are perfect for showing off tanned feet in strappy sandals and cry out for lashings of gold jewellery.

They’ll also take you from the pub to a summer soirée.

Cos, Mango and Whistles are the trailblazers this season.

Tiered maxi dress, £79, sizes 6-18, Cos

2

FANTASY FROCK With designers determined

for us to enjoy a summer of dinners, parties, glam events and rescheduled weddings, extravagant and flamboyant dresses were in abundance on the runways. Think elaborate embellishments, layers of tulle and fabulous full skirts. If ever there was a time to embrace feminine dressing, it’s now. Hiring a catwalk creation could be the answer to your prayers – this fairy-tale Dolce & Gabbana dress being a prime example.

Dolce & Gabbana silk organza dress, £49 per day, size 12, My Wardrobe HQ

3CHICTHECASUALCOMBO

For anyone searching for the solution to dressing for our new working way, here’s an idea you might just love.

Meet the new casual-chic combo that will take you effortlessly from the sofa to

ageless style

2

4POLISHED BRAIDS

Woven footwear has been having a moment for a while but the 2021 version, as seen at Dior, Acne and Bottega Veneta, is twisted and braided. Made from thick, padded luxe leather for a polished look, consider this your reintroduction into the world of shoes. There are lots of flat versions around but if you’re looking to embrace heels again, these mules from NA-KD tick all the boxes. Not too high and in a neutral tone that will go with anything and everything.

Braided wedge mules, £32.95, na-kd.com

3 4

the office. Hot off the runway, this A-line skirt and hoodie co-ord makes a lot of sense.

Firstly, it ekes a bit of extra life out of the loungewear we seem to have accumulated.

Adding the A-line skirt is a total game changer, giving it an element of catwalk cool, and making the whole ensemble look laid-back and effortless.

Pleated A-line skirt, £89, sizes 6-18, Cos; Arden zip-up hoodie, £125, sizes xs-l, Reiss

5

CHAIN REACTION We all know one of the easiest

5

ways to update a look is by adding a statement handbag.

The question is what piece of arm candy to choose from this season? One of the coolest looks to come out of the SS21 shows is the oversized chain handle bag, which is like an extra accessory for your bag.

Opt for a bright handle for a pop of colour, or if you want to keep things more understated, try this effortless raffia bag in a more muted and versatile natural nude hue.

Raffia shoulder bag, £29.99, Zara >> womanandhome.com 73

ageless style

6

A MODERN TAKE This welcome newcomer

could be the answer to our summer ‘Should I, shouldn’t I take a jacket’ conundrum. You know you always should, but layering a coat over your outfit can more often than not kill your look. Well, not any more.

Max Mara teamed bomber jackets with pencil skirts and instantly created a thing. But they also look great worn with floaty dresses and tailored wide-leg trousers. Making them very much a win-win.

Linen bomber jacket featuring pockets, £89.95, sizes 6-16, Massimo Dutti

7 SHINE ON

What our wardrobes are really crying out for is that little bit of something extra. And the sequin is turning out to be the designers’ go-to tool for adding some sparkle to summer 2021. Why wait for Christmas when we need a touch of shimmer to make an impact now? The key to pulling off summer sequins is to keep it simple. Team this elegant silver split-front skirt with a crisp cotton shirt and fail-safe flats.

Split-front sequinned skirt, £24.99, sizes 6-20, H&M

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OVER AND OUT Looking for a layering piece?

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THE 9THROWBACK 70S

So while lockdown may have given us tie-dye, as the world opens up again it’s giving back. Prepare for another 70s favourite… crochet. But it’s not to be confused with the homespun yarn of that groovy decade. Delicate and dainty, it’s taken on a sophisticated look – think elegant pencil skirts and feminine blouses.

For a modern look, stick to neutrals like cream, taupe and white. Dior, Gabriela Hearst and Valentino all demonstrated the resurgence of the retro design technique.

Straight crochet midi skirt, £49.99, sizes xs-xl, Zara

7 9 10

8 10

HOLE NEW DIRECTION OK, so clothes with holes

in are officially a thing.

Designers have introduced cleverly spun holes into knitted fabrics. And the result is actually rather good, presenting us with a whole host of layering potential.

At Prada, jumpers and second-skin tops had two-inch holes all over them, while at Burberry, trenches were adorned with a netted overlay. A classic cardi with a modern twist should most definitely be on your list. Layer over a contrasting colour to make a statement or wear alone if you dare to bare.

Lace-stitch cardigan, £69, sizes xs-l, Arket

NIAPS ALEGNA ,YMALA :SOTOHP

Then investing in this season’s knitwear newcomer could be just the answer. The humble tank top has had a wonderful makeover and become a new trend. It’s also a handy styling trick that will not only add warmth but provide a modern spin to the plainest of T-shirts or a classic white shirt. Simply wear on its own

6

now or layer over a top, or wear under a blazer. This is one hero piece you can truly put your own style stamp on.

Knitted sleeveless jumper, £35.99, sizes, xs-l, Mango

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Different skin requires different care

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Have a

GOOD HAIR DAY Colour your hair at home with these tips from Jess Beech

I

the best way Q What’s to cover greys?

f you’ve been hankering after a new look, without too much expense, then colouring your own hair could be just the thing. It’s cost-effective, there’s no appointment required and the whole process can be wrapped up in under an hour – all from the comfort of your own bathroom. The downside is that you’re missing out on the expert eyes and experience of a hairdresser, who will not only be able to guarantee spot-on application (they have the advantage of being able to see the back of your head), but advise on suitable shades and root growth too.

But remember, you don’t need to be in an exclusive relationship with either at-home dye or a salon colourist.

A happy medium could be a mix of both, and any good professional will be able to tell you how to keep your colour fresh between appointments.

‘Grey hair has no colour pigment, so it’s not really grey at all; it’s white,’ explains Sophie MacCorquodale, hair colourist at Salon Sloane. ‘If you imagine painting a white wall brown, it usually takes a few coats. The same principle applies with stubborn white hair.’ Semi-permanent colour will offer 50-70% coverage of greys, but isn’t strong enough to cover resistant white. The result is a softer, more blended finish.

Permanent dye will cover 100% of greys, but you’ll get a harsher line as your roots regrow. Don’t feel the need to fully commit to a full head of colour when covering salt and pepper strands. ‘For someone who just has a few scattered greys in particular areas, use Clairol Root Touch-up Permanent Hair Dye, £5.99, Boots, in a close match to your natural colour, and apply to grey areas only,’ advises Michael. If you’d prefer to steer clear of dye altogether, Color Wow Root Cover Up, £28.50, SpaceNK, washes out at your next shampoo. >>

DO A PATCH TEST!

‘Patch tests are very important when colouring hair,’ says Clairol ambassador and hairdresser Michael Douglas. ‘Apply a small dab of dye on skin behind the ear, 48 hours before the colour appointment.’

Allergic reactions can range from blistering to full-on anaphylactic shock, so it makes sense to check first.

beauty in-depth

Our REAL models coloured their hair using Clairol Nice’n Easy Crème Permanent Hair Dye, £6.49.

Caroline Power used 6RR Ruby Red

the best way to Q What’s apply DIY hair colour?

‘The better your application technique, the more superior the result will be,’ says Michael. ‘Start by applying to the temple, hairline and parting, or any of the greyest areas, as they need extra time to develop.’ If you’re applying colour all over, Michael recommends working with two packs at once. ‘Mix them both at the same time so they can develop at the same rate. Then, if you ever feel like you’re running out, you’ve got another. The more you put on, the better the result.’ Once you’ve coated those mustreach areas, use a comb to ensure even distribution through the mid lengths and ends. We’d recommend snapping up Josh Wood Colour Accessories Kit, £15, joshwoodcolour.com, for a professional finish. womanandhome.com 77

Q Howshadecanto suitI choosemy skinthe tone?right

Arguably, this is the trickiest part of colouring your hair. It’s a skill that pro colourists hone for years, so it’s no surprise that it feels overwhelming to the uninitiated. ‘A good place to start is to think about the colour you were as a child, how your hair looks in the sun or when you’re feeling your best,’ says Sophie. ‘Eye colour, how your skin tans, your personality and how much you want to invest in your hair are all factors in choosing the right colour too.’ Head to joshwoodcolour.com for step-by-step shade guidance when purchasing Josh Wood Colour The Miracle System, £29. ‘If you’re standing in the supermarket aisle and thinking “which colour is for me?”, stick close to your natural shade,’ advises Michael. ‘One shade darker, one shade lighter or the same depth and you’re not going to go far wrong. If you’re really worried about making a mistake, stick to a semi-permanent colour like Clairol Natural Instincts Conditioning Colour, £6.99, Boots. It won’t lighten your hair, but it will make the colour darker or deeper.’

Q Canmy hairI highlight at home?

According to Katie Hale, head of colour at Charles Worthington Salons, at-home highlights have disaster written all over them.

‘The technique takes years of training to perfect, and not only could you end up with patchy blobs, but mismanaged bleach can cause extreme breakage.’

‘Using hair lightening products at home is risky,’ adds Sophie. ‘You need to also lift the natural red and orange pigments (known as pheomelanin) from the hair; something home hair colours are not always capable of.’ Risk of orange hair aside, box dyes will only lighten by three to four shades, so are unlikely to reward you with the beachy blonde you’re hoping for. Instead, perk up your existing colour with a treatment like Davines Heart of Glass Sheer Glaze, £22.50, Liberty, for gloss and shine.

Still want to add a sun-kissed tone?

‘Choose a blonde dye and paint pieces onto the ends of your hair or around your face,’ advises Michael. ‘It’s simple and the margin for error is not great.’ Try Bleach London No Bleach Bleach Kit, £8.50, Boots.

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Box dye will only alter your hair by 2-3 shades, so manage your expectations and leave extreme changes to your hairdresser

make my Q HowcolourcanlastIlonger?

Good haircare is key to extending the life of your shade. ‘It’s all about locking in colour and stopping it from fading,’ says Luke Hersheson, hair expert and CEO of Hershesons salon.

Invest in products that protect the hair’s colour and boost shine, such as L’Oréal Paris Elvive Colour Protect More Than Shampoo, £6.99, Boots, and Kérastase Reflection Fondant Chromatique Conditioner, £23.30, lookfantastic.com. Hair is especially prone to colour change during the summer, so spritz Monat Colour Locking and Protective Spray, £35, monatglobal.com.

Shampoos and conditioners with colour pigment will help here too, and can knock out any unwanted tones. ‘For blonde and grey hair, use a purple shampoo every once in a while to banish brassiness and bring back ashy-ness,’ continues Luke. Be careful not to overuse it, as it can be drying on your hair or leave blondes a murky shade of lilac.

If your brunette is throwing up red, dial it down with more of a golden toner or brunette-boosting shampoo.

beauty in-depth

can QDIY HowIdyecorrectdisaster? a

Julia Peters used 8 Medium Blonde, £6.49

Permanent colour mishaps ideally need to be fixed by your hairdresser.

‘Removing colour is one of the most technically difficult services,’ says Katie. ‘There are so many rules that professionals need to adhere to, so cutting corners could get messy.’

If you’re desperate, and can’t get an appointment, there are at-home colour removers available such as Colourless Hair Colour Remover Max Effect, £9.99, Superdrug. Follow the pack’s instructions carefully, and don’t be surprised if orange tones creep through.

Follow with a nourishing hair mask to restore lost moisture. Or, for a fast fix if you’ve tried to go lighter and it’s turned a bit orange, apply a purple-toned shampoo all over your hair and leave for 30 minutes to neutralise the brassiness.

Try Shu Uemura Art of Hair Yubi Blonde Anti-Brass Purple Shampoo, £29.95, lookfantastic.com.

Semi-permanent colour is far easier to remove. ‘As long as it has been used correctly, it will wash out,’ explains Michael. ‘The only problem is if you’ve used it on top of highlights or porous hair, as the colour can fall into the cortex of the hair and stain. In most cases, applying anti-dandruff shampoo to dry hair, and leaving for 10 minutes before shampooing and conditioning, will do the trick.’ We like Head & Shoulders Deep Cleanse Itch Prevention Shampoo, £6, Boots. >>

To minimise the chance of irritation, hair dye is best applied to dirty hair womanandhome.com 79

LOW-COMMITMENT COLOUR Toners offer an easy way to refresh your shade – spin the colour wheel to meet your match.

Wella Professionals Colour Fresh SemiPermanent Colour Mask in Pink, £15.70, lookfantastic.com.

Give blonde hair a lively rose refresh with this pretty pink toner.

John Frieda Blue Crush Intensive Blue Shampoo, £6.99, Boots. Blue pigment neutralises unwanted orange tones for a cool brunette finish.

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3 More Inches Silver Blonde Cashmere Protein Purple Shampoo, £19, vanclarke.com.

Josh Wood Colour Caramel Purple banishes Semi-Permanent Treatment yellow and brassy Gloss, £19, joshwoodcolour.com. tones, leaving blonde Enhance the richness of and grey hair icy fresh. brunette tones by layering up with a caramel hue.

MOC.TTELTRABALLETSE ,SGNIRRAE .MOC.SOSA TA ADOM OREV ,SSERD :AILUJ .MOC.NOIHSAFTSAOC ,SESSERD :AIRAM DNA ENILORAC .REPOOC AIRAM DNA SRETEP AILUJ ,REWOP ENILORAC :SLEDOM LAER .NOTYALC OJ :PU-EKAM .DRAZZI NOMIS DNA LORIALC ROF SALGUOD LEAHCIM :RIAH .ETIHW-REPOOC HARAS :NOITCERID TRA .RETSBEW OJ :SOTOHP

Moroccanoil Color Depositing Mask in Copper, £28.85, feelunique.com.

Have fun with dark blondes and medium brown hair, with a copper toner to add shine and warmth.

Maria Cooper used 5W Medium Brown, £6.49

BRIGHT IDEAS

Whether you go for a bolt of bright lipstick or a suits-all smoky eye, summer’s new make-up tricks will lift your look – and your mood!

C

beauty inspiration

ast aside your black kohl stick and nude lipstick, along with those hefty knits.

Warmer weather and brighter days are the perfect invitation to play with brilliant hues that call to us like a magpie to a treasure chest. Holidays may still be off the menu, but a warm, well-rested appearance enhanced by a vibrant lipstick or sun-flushed blusher will certainly capture that wanderlust spirit.

BAREFACED CHIC Less foundation means less to slip

TOP TIP

‘If you off as the temperatures creep up. need a touchCiaté London Dewy Skin, £26, up, blot your base ciatelondon.com, provides the first, then apply make-up perfect foil to a bold make-up to prevent a build-up.’ look. This glow-giving skin tint Caroline Barnes, is super thin and feels virtually Max Factor UK weightless. Similarly, NYX Bare make-up artist With Me Tinted Skin Serum, ambassador £13, Boots, prioritises radiance, and will enhance, not mask, your naturalborn skin. If you’re worried about pigmentation, rosacea or blemishes, Vichy Minéralblend Hydrating Glow Foundation 16HR, £18, Boots, offers coverage without compromising on glow.

HOT LIPS

‘My top tip for lips is to use hyaluronic acid before colour application,’ says Caroline Barnes. ‘This keeps hydration locked in and the colour in place.’

She rates CeraVe Hydrating Hyaluronic Acid Serum, £17, Superdrug. As for colour, Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Mat in Excess, £32, chanel.com, is perfect if you don’t usually ‘do’ colour.

And an orangey hue, such as Fenty Beauty Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in Saw-C, £16, Boots, is like a vitamin shot for every skin tone.

If your lips are dry, choose a satin finish.

We love Avon Anew Revival Serum Lipstick in Exhilarating Magenta, £10, avonuk.com, while L’Oréal Paris x Elie Saab Color Riche Satin Lipstick in Music Impact, £9.99, Boots, is worth a mention too. If balms are more your bag, look for one with a high wax content, so it won’t melt in the heat. Lanolips Tinted Lip Balm in Rhubarb, £8.99, Boots, contains SPF30, which is a major bonus. >>

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:

✢Avon Anew Revival Serum Lipstick in Exhilarating Magenta ✢Fenty Beauty Mattemoiselle Plush Matte Lipstick in Saw-C ✢Lanolips Tinted Lip Balm in Rhubarb ✢Chanel Le Rouge Crayon de Couleur Mat in Excess ✢L’Oréal Paris x Elie Saab Color Riche Satin Lipstick in Music Impact womanandhome.com 83

beauty inspiration

PLAY WITH PASTELS

Bright nail colours can be a powerful weapon in your anti-ageing arsenal, drawing the eye away from veins and dark spots. Cue this season’s pastel palette. Bright with muted undertones – think buttery yellow, lilac and cornflower blue – they give an elegant appearance without being too glaringly ‘done’. And if you’re still not convinced, try a pastel pedicure instead.

Pictured from left to right: Max Factor Nailfinity Gel Colour in Leading Lady, £7.99, Boots, gives a groomed and elegant finish. Barry M Velvet Matte Nail Paint in Lilac Lady, £3.99, Superdrug, has a smooth, suede-like finish that stops it from trespassing into granny territory. Essie Nail Colour in You Know the Espadrille, £7.99, Boots, is a mellow mustard that’s surprisingly easy to wear. Cienna Rose Enriched Nail Lacquer in Mint To Be, £9, ciennarose.com, feels modern – a minty turquoise shade that’s fresh and fun on both fingers and toes. Sally Hansen Good.

Kind. Pure Nail Color in Coral Calm, £8.99, Superdrug, is a happy, uplifting hue that looks great with a tan. OPI Nail Lacquer in Mali-Blue Shore, £13.90, opiuk.com, will enhance fair complexions and pop against dark skin tones.

TOP TIP

‘Some pastel polishes can be difficult to apply. To help avoid streaks, float the brush over the nail, rather than pressing.’

Michelle Humphrey, celebrity manicurist

PRETTY IN PINK

Bright sun can wash you out, so stick with a rosy rouge to lift the complexion. The key to keeping it grown-up, not girlish, is the placement and texture. For a natural glow, swap powders for creams, like Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink, £7.99, Boots. ‘Pink tones look healthy and fresh at the front of your face, just below and in line with your pupils, but will appear instantly dated if you sweep across your cheeks in a diagonal fashion,’ warns Caroline. Create a modern look by carrying this colour across eyes and lips.

Kiko Cosmetics Mood Boost 3-in-1 All Over Stick in Sophisticated Mauve, £9.99, kikocosmetics.com, will enhance lips, eyes and cheeks in a portable stick.

SEYELEXIP ,SSERP AREMAC/HCSTLEK AILUJ/ETTIGIRB :SOTOHP .ROLYAM EINAHPETS :SDROW

THE BIG SMOKE

Worried you’re too old to wear a smoky eye? Think again. ‘It’s all about attitude,’ says Caroline. ‘I have wrinkly eyes and I love sparkles, so I wear them.’ A little extra consideration will pay dividends, so prep around the orbital bone with Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Eye Base, £34, bobbibrown.co.uk. Once that’s sunk in, continue with your eyeshadow.

Caroline recommends cream shadows that won’t settle in fine lines. Sweep on a layer of Trinny London Eye2Eye in Empress, £18, trinnylondon.com, and apply a swoosh of Smashbox Always Sharp Waterproof Kohl Liner in Black, £17, Boots, right into the upper lash roots.

Upgrade your mascara to a waterproof version to withstand heat. L’Oréal Paris Air Volume Waterproof Mascara, £11, takes lashes from an early gym session to a sundowner in the garden.

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Helping you to become a connoisseur of fragrance, they offer an interactive online experience via their Scentschool™ in a Box, where expert Floralistas take you on a journey of fragrance discovery. Their new sustainable Home Collections are bold and beautiful, and perfect for scenting your home, office or happy space.

TRY IT OUT Save 20% on all full-sized

products at www.floralstreet.com between 31 May and 31 July by using WH20 at checkout. This promotion cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

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Make-up essential My beauty essential

LAUREN HUTTON Despite being dismissed by many model agents at the start of her career due to her signature gap-toothed smile, Lauren Hutton’s career as a model has spanned nearly six decades, with numerous Vogue covers, a milliondollar modelling contract with Revlon, and starring roles in Hollywood movies, to name a few of her many successes. At 77, she has never looked more beautiful, and here she shares the secrets of her enduring good looks.

Good hair day buy When I’m not working,

I brush out my hair, twist it, plop it on the top of my head and pin into place.

For serious conditioning two to three times a week, I use Christophe Robin Regenerating Mask with Rare Prickly Pear Seed oil, £54, feelunique.com

Youthboosting tricks For a fast facelift, I will ETIHW-REPOOC HARAS :SDROW

plunge and hold my face in an ice water-filled sink (I learned that from Paul Newman!). Then I moisturise with StriVectin SD Advanced Plus Intensive Moisturizing Concentrate, £99, strivectin.co.uk. It feels light, but visibly effective.

I also put it on to sleep, layered over their serums.

is a concealer that isn’t like a mask.

Physicians Formula makes a good one shaped like a lipstick, called Gentle Cover Concealer Stick, £7.99, feelunique. com. After applying, I dab over matte moisturiser for a bit more transparency.

What I

REALLY USE

The supermodel, actress and StriVectin Global Brand Ambassador reveals all

My beauty mantra Looking after my skin is of

number-one importance and I’d advise everyone to protect theirs with a good sunscreen. And I also swear by oils – unfiltered coconut, neem, jojoba and avocado. My favourite is Desert Essence Organic Jojoba Oil, £23.99, amazon.co.uk. I use this on wet skin after a shower.

My beauty bargain I have been using

Andrea Eye Q’s Makeup Remover Pads, £3.56, houseofbeautyworld. com since I was 16 – they are great at removing make-up and really inexpensive too. They come in both moisturising and oil-free versions.

I like the moisturising version best, as it gives eyelids a lovely sheen.

Speedy grooming I’m below low-

maintenance! My morning routine consists of washing, moisturising, and applying a bit of concealer and a touch of Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey, £18.50, clinique. co.uk. Then I’m ready for the grocery store, dry-cleaner, post office… whatever the day holds! womanandhome.com 87

&

HEALTH WELLNESS If you do one thing this month

COOK A HEALTHIER BARBECUE Jane Clarke, nutritionist and founder of Nourish

Drinks, says there is so much more to cook over the coals than bangers and burgers.

The chargrilled smoky flavours can enhance fish, veggies and even fruit – and you’ll benefit from the extra nutrients and lower calories. Plus you’ll cut back on processed meat, which is associated with inflammation and increased risk of disease. Get ready for a healthy, al fresco feast with three simple tips: 1 Oily fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can protect the heart and reduce inflammation in the body. Wrap salmon with herbs and lemon in foil, and cook until tender.

2 Chop courgettes, peppers, red onion and cherry tomatoes, and thread onto skewers. The antioxidants in vegetables help to break down free radicals, which can damage cells and DNA, causing premature ageing and disease.

3 Make fruit kebabs by threading chunks of pineapple, banana, strawberry and melon onto skewers. Fruit is packed with antioxidants, as well as fibre, which slows down the release of sugar into the bloodstream.

YTTEG :OTOHP

womanandhome.com 89

Omega oils EXPLAINED

health update

I

Modern diets make it easy to miss out on omega-3 fatty acids. Our health experts explain how to ensure you get what your body needs

HCRAESER ENICIDEM EVITARGETNI FO LANRUOJ* .YMALA :OTOHP .NAMDOOG ESOR :SDROW

f you’re feeling stressed, a bit run-down, or are finding it hard to get good-quality sleep, it could mean you’re missing out on ‘good’ fats. These can take the form of omega-3 fatty acids, and provide a range of benefits for the body.

‘Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat often referred to as “essential’’ – the body can’t make them, so they need to be obtained from the diet,’ says nutritionist Rob Hobson from Healthspan. And they can make a big difference during the menopause. A 2011 study found a supplement could reduce hot flushes and night sweats, and it’s great for protecting bone strength.

Here’s what you need to know.

MOOD People who enjoy a diet rich in oily fish could be less likely to develop depression*. Talk to your GP to see if it could help you.

BODY Low levels of omega-3 can cause poor eyesight, memory decline and hair thinning.

Adding fatty acids to your diet can also have a positive affect on: HEART HEALTH ‘Omega-3 can help to increase good cholesterol and reduce triglycerides in the blood,’ says Rob. High levels of triglycerides can increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

JOINT PAIN Omega-3 can help to overcome morning stiffness and ease tender or swollen joints.

Not only is omega-3 good for digestion, but it can help you to absorb nutrients from food to turn into energy. ‘Plant sources include walnuts, seaweed and flaxseeds,’ says Jenna. Get the most from every meal with the below. ✢ Walnuts – 2.2g per handful ✢Flaxseed oil – 7.19g per tbsp ✢Avocado – 0.15g per half ✢Quinoa – 0.31g per 100g ✢Tofu – 0.58g per 100g ✢Edamame – 0.36g per 100g

WHY FISH COMES FIRST

Oily fish is a great source of some harder-to-get minerals, such as zinc and selenium, and an easy way to get your omega-3 fix. ‘It really is the best way,’ says nutritionist Jenna Hope. ‘Go for salmon, mackerel, sardines, anchovies and herring.’ Aim for roughly two 140g servings a week.

OTHER WAYS TO UP BIG BENEFITS OF OMEGA-3 YOUR OMEGA-3

SHOULD I TAKE A SUPPLEMENT?

‘If you follow a plant-based diet, a supplement is a good option,’ says Jenna. We love Veg Omega-3, £22.95, healthspan.co.uk, and Cod Liver Oil, £13.99, hollandand barrett.com. Both are great for general supplementation too.

OMEGA-3 VS OMEGA-6

You could also benefit from omega-6, but getting the balance right is key.

‘Omega-6 comes from corn and soybean oils,’ says NHS-registered dietitian Anna Hardman. ‘Plus turkey, chicken and pumpkin seeds.’

Omega-6 helps muscles, nerves and bones by sending messages to and from the brain, but an excess can lead to inflammation, which could lead to a stroke. Omega-3 can help reduce this. A healthy ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is 1:4, so go for 1g of omega-6 for every 4g of omega-3. To maintain this, Rob recommends loading up more on omega-3-high foods and avoiding processed food.

womanandhome.com 91

How ANXIOUS are you?

Take our test to find out how you can healthily manage your anxiety

A

certain degree of worry is inevitable, but if negative thoughts become unmanageable, it will affect your health. After living with the challenges and uncertainty of a global pandemic, anxiety levels have risen dramatically in the UK, with 50% of people reporting that they feel anxious, according to the Office for National Statistics.

How well are you coping? Answer these following questions to assess your anxiety…

WHAT IS ANXIETY?

It’s the body’s reaction to danger, and can be defined by excessive worrying and a heightened emotional response to a perceived or real threat. Symptoms include: ✢Racing heart, palpitations ✢Nausea, dry mouth, headache ✢Hyperventilating ✢Dizziness and shaking ✢Sleep problems ✢Irritability, inability to concentrate ✢Chills and hot flushes 92 womanandhome.com

1

TAKE THE ANXIETY TEST

How well are you sleeping right now? a) You usually drift off as soon as your head hits the pillow, and don’t stir until the morning. b) You tend to fall asleep without trouble, but often wake up early with a busy mind. c) You occasionally wrestle with bouts of insomnia and use strategies to help you to sleep. d) It consistently takes you a long time to drop off, you wake in the night and are exhausted in the morning.

2

Your partner messages asking for a ‘talk’ later. How do you react? a) You think, ‘Great! Maybe they want to book a holiday.’ b) You’re confused, but put it out of your mind and get on with your day. c) You hope it’s nothing serious. d) You immediately assume it will be bad news, and worry until they get home.

3

How confident are you socially? a) You thrive in social situations and feel energised meeting new people. b) You enjoy a balance of socialising and alone time to recharge. c) You feel nervous in social situations. d) You find socialising stressful and exhausting, and are anxious beforehand.

4

At the end of a stressful day, are you able to switch off? a) Yes, you can park stress to enjoy your hobbies or a relaxing bath. b) It takes you a while to relax, but you know what works to help you unwind. c) With difficulty – you always seem to have something to worry about. d) No, you find it hard to keep things in perspective when you’re under pressure.

5

How did you cope with the challenges of the pandemic? a) You’ve stayed positive by focusing on family and a simpler life at home. b) You’ve felt moments of anxiety, but have looked after yourself well to get through it. c) You’ve experienced a roller coaster of emotions and it has taken a toll. d) You found it extremely stressful, and you’re struggling to regain your confidence.

6

How would you describe your attitude to worry? a) You think it’s mostly unhelpful. b) You try to compartmentalise your worries so they don’t take over. c) Catastrophising often gets the better of you. d) The more you try to fret less, the more you feel stressed.

ANIMITNI HTIW GNIKROW* .YTTEG :)LEDOM YB DESOP( OTOHP .LLAFSROH ILA :SDROW

7

A family member is unwell, your workload is huge and the house is a mess. How do you cope? a) You’re managing OK because you’re always prepared for a crisis. b) You’re leaning on others to help you to get through it. c) You’re spinning the plates, but feel increasingly overwhelmed. d) You’re on the brink of burnout.

8

How would you describe your mood in the past few weeks? a) Upbeat and optimistic. b) Generally positive with the odd wobble. c) A little tense and impatient. d) You feel angry and irritable most of the time.

health report

HOW DID YOU SCORE? MOSTLY As

You have a handle on stress You’re resilient and optimistic, which

means you effectively shake off anxious thoughts. Be careful you’re not suppressing genuine worries.

Dr Sophie Mort, psychologist and author of A Manual for Being Human (£14.99, Simon & Schuster), believes we might not recognise and understand our difficult emotions if we’ve been raised to fear or be ashamed of them. ‘We are usually taught to put on a brave face when we are distressed and told to “snap out of it”,’ she explains.

YOUR FIX Reach out and open up to family or friends. They will support you when you need it.

WHY NOT TRY Journaling. One study found people who work through their worries on paper have more positive feelings of wellbeing than those who bottle things up.

MOSTLY Bs You’re a healthy worrier Your approach to worrying is balanced, and it’s likely you’ve already found strategies to successfully manage feelings of stress. But is there more you can do to keep anxiety at bay?

YOUR FIX The adrenal glands produce the ‘fight or flight’ chemical cortisol, so it’s important to look after them. ‘Activities like yoga, exercise, meditation and journaling can all be part of a support plan,’ says holistic dietitian Priscila Gonsalez*. She advises lean meat, tofu, eggs and dairy foods, cold water fish and green vegetables for vitamin B, and plenty of vitamin C from berries and oranges.

WHY NOT TRY A herbal supplement containing L-Theanine, which may improve your mood during anxious times. Try Pink Calm Caps, £14.99, LloydsPharmacy.

MOSTLY Cs

You often fret

As much as you know that worrying is bad for you, you find it difficult to switch off from negative thoughts.

When sleep is problematic too, you’ll find your energy is quickly drained.

Learn to face your worries head-on.

YOUR FIX Mindfulness is the practice of being in the moment, without interpretation or judgement, says Eve Lewis Prieto, director of meditation at Headspace. ‘Using our breath as an anchor, we can feel connected to the moment, and step away from the worried mind.’

WHY NOT TRY Manage anxious thoughts with Headspace’s 30-day Anxiety Course, from £5.99 per month, headspace.com.

Research by the University of Surrey found those who subscribe to a mindfulness programme see a 58% reduction in anxiety and 40% reduction in perceived stress.

MOSTLY Ds Your anxiety levels are high The stress you’re feeling may be

overwhelming, and your health at risk. If your sleep is consistently poor, your mind is frazzled and you are experiencing physical symptoms, it’s time to take action.

YOUR FIX Chat to your GP, who may refer you for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Or you may be given the option of antidepressants.

WHY NOT TRY‘Adopt this practice to nourish mental health,’ says psychologist Dr Seth Gillihan: BREATHE Use your breath as the anchor to connect to the present; LOVE Connect with others; OBSERVE Practise helpful ways of thinking; OFFER THANKS Practise gratitude; MOVE Exercise.

Try the Bloom app, from the App store and Google Play; £58.99 per year or £13.99 per month. womanandhome.com 93

Reset for SUMMER W

Wave goodbye to lockdown love handles with habits you can actually keep

ith the warmer weather finally here and our social calendars starting to fill up again, those of us who gained a bit of lockdown weight might finally feel the spur to do something about it. But rather than resorting to quick fixes, such as fad diets, severe calorie restriction and over-exercising, which are almost impossible to maintain long-term, there are several ways to get rid of unwanted weight, and keep it off for good. These experts reveal the simple ways to achieve sustainable weight loss – and they won’t leave you feeling deprived.

WORKOUT FOR WEIGHT LOSS Get moving and boost your

calorie burn.

Any exercise that gives the afterburn effect is best for weight loss. ‘Burning calories post-exercise equates to a better weight-loss result,’ says Lyndsey Todd, personal trainer at The Training Room. ‘EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption) can last up to 72 hours after you’ve stopped exercising. Weight training is great for EPOC, and so are HIIT (High-intensity Interval Training) workouts.’

IT’S A HIIT

HIIT involves performing three to five intervals of high-intensity exercise followed by a prolonged rest period. You 94 womanandhome.com

health is the new wealth

THE FOODS TO EAT

With a change in eating habits, it’s important to make sure your body is still getting all the vital nutrients, minerals and vitamins it needs.

CARBOHYDRATES

Starchy foods are an important part of the diet. ‘They should make up about a third of all the food that we eat,’ says Clodagh Hackett, lead dietitian at The Princess Grace Hospital. ‘You don’t have to avoid or restrict them because they are “fattening”. Instead, be aware of the total amount of starch that you eat and ensure you are choosing higherfibre wholegrain varieties. This includes wholewheat pasta, brown rice, potatoes (with their skins on), wholegrain breads and porridge.’ Try to avoid processed foods that contain simple carbs – these are absorbed quickly by the gut and can cause a spike in blood-sugar levels, leading you to feel hungry later on. Simple carbs include sweets, soft drinks, white bread and pasta.

PROTEIN

‘A diet that’s high in protein can help to support weight loss by reducing hunger

EXERCISE COMFORTABLY Tight-fitting gym leggings and

FAT

Dietary fats are essential to give our body energy, protect our organs and help keep us warm, but as they are calorie dense, we need to watch our intake. The British Heart Foundation recommends that the average man should have no more than 30g of saturated fat a day, and the average women should have no more than 20g a day. To get your fix of healthy fats, enjoy nuts, avocado, seeds and oily fish.

Aim for at least two portions of oily fish a week, including mackerel and salmon.

As a guide, a portion of oily fish should fit into the palm of your hand. can download free HIIT programmes, such as the HIIT Workouts and Timer by 7M app (free to download on both iOS and Android), which provide voice-over exercises, tutorials for better understanding and countdown alerts. You can also ask your personal trainer or gym instructor to create you a workout based on your specific goals and needs.

LIFTING WEIGHTS

‘Weightlifting can help you increase muscle and decrease body fat, so although you may not see a change in your actual scale weight, there will be a change in body composition,’ says Lyndsey. This is the shape of your body based on the amount of fat and muscle you have. So although two people might weigh the same, if one them has a higher ratio of muscle to fat, their body shape will be leaner and more toned than the other person’s.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

‘Aim to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg each day,’ says Clodagh. ‘Choose from fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced. Not only can vegetables help to maintain your immune system, they are also low in calories while being high in fibre and water, both of which can help to boost feelings of fullness,’ she says. A portion of fruit or vegetables amounts to 80g.

DAIRY

Our main source of calcium, dairy products and alternatives are a good source of protein too. ‘The total fat content of dairy products can vary a lot, so be sure to check the nutrition information label for the amount of fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt,’ says Clodagh. For example, full-fat milk contains 7.4g of fat and 4.8g of saturated fat per 200ml, while skimmed milk contains 0.2g of fat and 0.2g of saturated fat per 200ml. When choosing dairy alternatives, such as soya or almond milks, yogurts and cheeses, go for the unsweetened, calcium-fortified versions.’

TRY COLD-WATER SWIMMING

Research* shows swimming in cold water can burn more calories than swimming in warm water. Why? Our hearts are working harder to pump blood around our bodies. To find your local outdoor swimming pool, visit swimming.org

DO I REALLY NEED TO AIM FOR 10,000 STEPS A DAY?

‘This is the daily recommendation set out through the NHS and the Government guidelines for health benefits,’ says Lyndsey. ‘This should be spread out through your daily activities, such as walking on your lunch break. ‘You could start with walking three to four times a week and gradually build up from 20 minutes to one hour. Remember that it needs to be a brisk walk to get the heart rate up.’ According to the NHS, you’ll know if you’re walking briskly if you can talk but not sing the words to a song. womanandhome.com 95

ADIROLF FO YTISREVINU* .YTTEG :)LEDOM YB DESOP( OTOHP .NAMDOOG ESOR :SDROW

sweat can irritate ‘down there’, so if you have vaginal dryness – as a result of the menopause – it could make you feel uncomfortable.

Try Dr Wolff’s Vagisan Moisturising Cremolum, £12.99 for 16 pessaries, boots.com

and boosting the metabolism,’ says Clodagh. The reference nutrient intake (RNI) of protein is roughly 56g a day for men and 45g a day for women.

For context, one egg contains 6g of protein, 100g of chicken breast has 31g of protein and a cup of cooked black beans contains 15g of protein.

Clodagh recommends you try to incorporate two plant-based protein meals per week into your diet, which use lentils or tofu, for example.

‘I was housebound with’

health confidential

PSORIASIS

‘I

Alison Tait, 61, shares how a painful foot condition prevented her from getting outdoors

’ve always been a keen walker, with a real sense of adventure.

After meeting and marrying my husband, we settled in Aberdeen and together had a lifelong ambition to see the world.

After we retired, I began to make travel plans. But my dreams were soon dashed when I developed a very painful foot condition that seemed to come out of nowhere.

I first noticed a dry, red patch on the sole of my foot that just wouldn’t go away, and gradually it got worse and worse. I saw my GP, who diagnosed psoriasis. He gave me antibiotics and suggested that I see a dermatologist.

Various prescriptions followed, and I was constantly applying different ointments and steroid creams, but nothing worked.

The infection continued to spread until it was all around my foot, on the sole, under the arch and over my toes.

It became incredibly painful to walk anywhere, which was awful. I was almost completely immobile and housebound.

I read every travel magazine there was – yet I was the ultimate armchair traveller, just stuck in my chair. It was very hard.

I also have Type 2 diabetes, so I became increasingly concerned that the lack of exercise due to my discomfort was making me unwell.

I used to do lots of beautiful walks on the beach but, with weeping, pus-filled bumps all over my foot, I couldn’t manage them any more. We eventually put our house up for sale and moved to somewhere more accessible.

Having this condition affected me more than I can put into words. I was depressed, angry and upset, but I was determined to find something to relieve my discomfort.

I regularly trawled the internet looking for a remedy – then I came across a clinic in London that treated problem skin types and chronic conditions with science-backed products formulated with powerful botanical herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine. This natural, less-clinical

YMALA :OTOHP NIAM .LLAFSROH ILA :SDROW

NEED TO KNOW is thought to be related to the

✢ Psoriasis is a skin condition that affects around 2% of people in the UK. ✢ It can occur anywhere on the body and appears as red, scaly or crusty patches that are often sore or itchy. ✢ Psoriasis is not contagious and

immune system. ✢ Alison treated her psoriasis with Medovie 3HX Derma Cream, £49, as part of a guided programme; medovie.com

approach to calming and nourishing the skin appealed to me after trying so many prescription creams, which only made my symptoms worse.

Although it was far from my base in Scotland, I made an appointment, as I was willing to travel to find a solution.

I remember coming out of the Tube station and hobbling to the clinic – but I would have crawled there if I’d had to.

After the consultation, which also discussed my diet, exercise routine and general health habits, I left with a herbal-based derma cream containing Lonicera japonica for healthy skin functioning; Rheum palmatum var tanguticum, which has antibacterial properties; and Rehmannia glutinosa, which contains vitamins A, B and C. I started applying it four times a day.

It was so gentle and luxurious, and a more soothing experience than any of the harsh creams I’d tried. I quickly saw an improvement and didn’t suffer from any side effects. Within eight weeks, I noticed I didn’t get the blisters any more, and, within a few months, I was walking properly again. I can’t describe how great it felt to be able to get outside, go on proper walks and start exploring again. As soon as the world opens up again, I’ll be making more adventurous travel plans! womanandhome.com 97

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SEXSOS! LIFE W&H FITNESS GURU

Pick it up. Dust it off. Give it mouth-to-mouth.

Our fitness guru Annie Deadman on the natural ways to revive a flagging libido

I

told some of my clients I was tackling this topic… ‘Save us and our stuttering sex drive,’ they begged. Busy family lives, work issues and fluctuations in how we feel about our partners can all contribute to a decline in the desire to be intimate. Then there’s the big M. I am a great believer in not blaming hormonal imbalances for every negative in our lives, but none of us are strangers to the midlife cocktail of night sweats, hot flushes, parched skin, joint pain and stiffness, palpitations and anxiety. It’s not surprising then that having sex doesn’t always make it to the top of the midlife woman’s to-do list.

Patches and potions prescribed to ease the menopause can also boost desire. But let’s see what we can do without HRT to give us (and Friday nights) the best possible chance. Our oestrogen levels may drop, but let’s get our underwear joining in too.

MOVE MORE!

YTTEG ,NIAPS ALEGNA :SOTOHP

Look, I know it’s my job to bang the exercise drum on behalf of w&h, but the link between exercise and mental health is huge. The charity Mind (mindcharity.org) states that there is solid evidence to show that people who exercise regularly are less likely to suffer from depression and stress, and that this leads not only to an increase in selfesteem, but to a boost in mood.

Exercise can

make us happy. When we’re happy, we’re confident, when we’re confident we’re more likely to take the plunge.

A sedentary lifestyle will kill anyone’s sex drive stone dead, so take each other by the arm and get out for moodboosting walks. Not strolls. Walks.

Importantly, a decline in libido may not just be about plummeting oestrogen levels, but testosterone too. Adding strength training (using body weight or resistance equipment) not only challenges our muscles, giving us renewed strength and tone, but also a boost in testosterone.

Get your partner knocking out some push-ups, too, so you’re both swinging from the same chandelier, so to speak.

LET’S LOOK AT FOOD

vessels and skin, keeping it smoother and more elastic. A nice plump clitoris, anyone? As we age, collagen declines, so consider taking a collagen drink or powder, or boost its production with a vitamin C supplement.

The vaginal wall is worth a mention here, as this can become dry and thin when oestrogen drops. So thin that penetration becomes painful (think lemon juice on a wound). That’s hardly likely to spark much interest in taking things further, is it? There are a great variety of lubes and vaginal moisturisers on the market (yesyesyes.org), or talk to your GP, who may be able to offer some topical oestrogen, which is different from full-blown HRT and can be applied as a pessary.

Incidentally, during my research on the food side, one thing did keep cropping up. Maca powder. Despite there being little scientific evidence to suggest a leg-up for our libido, there is a great deal of interesting chat about it online (the forums made particularly juicy reading for a Tuesday afternoon!). It’s packed with magnesium, iron and selenium, and boasts whopping energy-giving properties.

So, lose the fags, moderate the booze and we have every chance of igniting that flame of passion.

‘Get your partner doing some push-ups’

The words ‘healthy diet’ are obvious, but can it actually make a difference to our va-va-voom? I’d take a bet that it does. Regular doses of greens and other brightly coloured fruit and veg will inevitably add a sizzle of antioxidants to the quality of the blood in your veins. On top of that, essential fatty acids (EFAs) found in oily fish, nuts and avocados will aid production of sex hormones, keep negative moods at bay and help shunt the blood along to our vital parts.

Collagen accounts for a third of all the protein in our body, and helps build and repair our bones, teeth, tendons, blood

✢ Annie is a fitness coach and author of The 21 Day Blast Plan (HarperCollins).

Her fat-loss plan at theblastplan.com is helping w&h readers overhaul their food and exercise regime. Follow her on Instagram @anniedeadman womanandhome.com 99

BREAST FRIENDS! Faye M Smith explains why it’s so important to be kind to your boobs

S

ecretly wearing a tatty old bra? You’re not the only one – 70%* of women say they’d rather wear something comfortable than buy a new bra. But it may be doing you more harm than good. ‘We’re not kind to our breasts,’ says Hazel Ma, bra fitter for Anita UK. ‘When you consider how much we spend on things like nails and hair, most women are alarmingly reluctant to do something simple for breasts, such as buying a good bra.’ Whatever size or shape you are, here’s how to give your breasts a bit of TLC.

WHAT LOCKDOWN HAS DONE TO YOUR CLEAVAGE

Did you spend the pandemic ‘sans bra’?

As a nation, around a third** of us happily did. ‘Many women decided to stop wearing a bra during lockdown; however, I’d urge people not to do this long-term,’ says cosmetic surgeon Paul Banwell. ‘Not wearing a bra is a cause of sagging. As we get older, our skin becomes less elastic and thins, so gravity has an easier time pulling us down.’ It could have an impact on your posture too. ‘Breasts are heavy, and a long period of time going braless may lead to hunching,’ adds Mr Banwell.

BREASTS CHANGE AS YOU AGE

If you’ve noticed a change in your breasts, it could be down to hormones.

‘Women hitting 50 will often see changes,’ explains Dr Rekha Tailor from Health & Aesthetics. ‘Breast tissue can become less glandular and more fatty, 100 womanandhome.com

health extra which makes them feel less firm.’ You may also notice a wider space in the middle, a shrinking in cup size, and the area around the nipple can become smaller. ‘It’s nothing to worry about,’ says Dr Tailor. ‘But age brings an increased risk of abnormal breast growths, which are often harmless, but should always be looked at by your GP.’

THE RIGHT BRA SIZE IS KEY

CHOOSING A SPORTS BRA?

FOUR WAYS TO PREVENT SAGGING happens BREASTS It’s not just a bra that makes a so quickly that your skin difference. Mr Banwell says: 1 WEAR SUNSCREEN ‘Sun damage can destroy the collagen and elastin in your skin. Collagen is a protein that retains firmness, so if this is reduced, your breasts can become saggier as the skin loses elasticity.’

2 STOP DIETING ‘Crash diets can cause a loss of muscle, as well as tissues around them, which

doesn’t have enough time to adjust.’

3 SLEEP ON YOUR BACK ‘Having breasts pressed against a mattress for hours can increase wrinkles. Sleeping on your side can cause breast ligaments to stretch.’

4 QUIT SMOKING ‘There are 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, many of which trigger the destruction of collagen and elastin.’

so you know how your breasts normally look and feel, and alert your GP to changes. ✢ Stand in front of a mirror with your arms down and then up. Look for redness, swelling, dimpling of the skin and changes in the nipple. ✢ Lie on your back. Starting with the right breast, put your right arm behind your head. Move your left fingers, keeping them flat and together, around your right breast in a small circle from the outside to the centre. ✢ Change the amount of pressure to assess all levels of the breast tissue. ✢ Do not overlook the armpits, behind nipples and the collarbone.

Check both sides.

your blood supply,’ says Dr Shazia Bhatti from London Doctors Clinic. ‘Wearing your bra 24/7 won’t give the skin a chance to recover, leading to long-term indents in the breast tissue. It may also restrict the flow of lymph to the lymph nodes around the breast and armpit.

This hinders the flushing of toxic waste products from the body.’

DEALING WITH VEINS

Visible blue veins on or between your breasts is common. ‘Around 50% of women have prominent breast veins that they do not like,’ says Professor Mark Whiteley. ‘The good news? Breast cancers are not associated with breast veins, so they do not need treatment from a medical point of view.’ Breast veins should not be painful. If yours are, it could be a sign of Mondor’s disease. ‘This is when the superficial veins clot, causing them to become inflamed and lumpy,’ says Professor Whiteley. ‘This is rare.’

TO PLUCK OR NOT TO PLUCK?

Using tweezers is a quick and safe way to get rid of unwanted hairs around nipples.

Do it after a warm shower or bath – the follicles will open in the heat, so it will be less painful. womanandhome.com 101

YEVRUS PUCYELRAB** .RELLEP & YBGIR* .YTTEG :)LEDOM YB DESOP( OTOHP .HTIMS M EYAF :SDROW

Whatever type of bra you prefer, chances are it’s not the correct size.

‘Do not guess,’ says Hazel. ‘At least nine out of 10 of the women I see are wearing the wrong size.’ Not only could this lead to discomfort, but it could also damage your breast tissue. Go to a local store, such as M&S, Bravissimo or John Lewis (COVID-19 restrictions permitting) for a professional fitting.

And, remember, a bra is not for life.

‘Even a quality bra won’t last forever,’ says Hazel. ‘It needs replacing when the elasticity has gone.’ Buy one that fits on the loosest hook. When the bra stretches over time, you can tighten ‘It should come off as easily as it the back again goes on,’ says Professor Marcos Sforza. by moving up ‘If you struggle to remove it when the fasteners. you’re clean and dry, think about how uncomfortable you’ll STOP SLEEPING be when you’re in a sweat IN YOUR BRA after a workout.’

Marilyn Monroe reportedly believed wearing a bra in bed could stop breasts sagging, but it’s not recommended. ‘You may be restricting

CHECK YOUR BREASTS Repeat this exam every month

Your HEALTH Q Q THIS MONTH ✢ Hair loss

✢ Sleep issues ✢ Itchy red rash ✢ Cholesterol tests

Got a medical problem or need health advice? Ask GP Dr Rosemary Leonard

I had COVID-19 just after Christmas and was really ill for a couple of weeks. I’ve recovered well though, but I’ve noticed my hair is much thinner, and there’s loads of it on my hands when it’s washed. Is this due to coronavirus, or could it be something else?

A

Lots of people have reported thinning hair after having COVID-19, but the exact reason for this isn’t known. Currently it’s not

thought that the virus itself damages hair follicles, but the physical and emotional stress from the illness can disrupt hair growth, known as telogen effluvium. Hair goes through a cycle of active growth, then resting, then falling out, and stressful events can shift hair into the resting phase, and this leads to hair loss. The condition can only be diagnosed after eliminating other possible causes, such as a low iron level, or underactive thyroid, so see your doctor for blood tests.

If no other cause is found, make sure you eat a nutrient-rich diet and get regular exercise, plus plenty of sleep.

FACT OR FICTION? WE ALL NEED A REGULAR ‘DETOX’

I have lost count of the number of times patients have asked me about the best way to ‘detox’ – to clear their body of toxins. And I’ve read numerous adverts that claim detoxing will help with various health problems, including obesity, digestive issues, bloating and tiredness. And though the idea of only drinking prune juice and mineral water for a couple of days to purge everything out might seem like a good idea, it’s very unlikely to have any long-term health benefits.

There is very little good research on detoxing, and the body is capable of cleansing itself through the actions of the liver, kidneys, faeces and also sweat. So unless you have a problem 102 womanandhome.com

with these, then there should be no build-up of toxins. There is certainly no evidence that taking expensive supplements is of any benefit.

Though many claim that ‘detoxing’ is a good way to lose weight, this seems to be because the detoxes are very low calorie, resulting in loss of carbohydrate stores (and sometimes water) rather than fat, and is unlikely to help weight control in the long-term.

The best way of ‘detoxing’ is to look after your kidneys, liver and gut by eating a healthy diet, with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and fibre, plus enough water to prevent you feeling thirsty, and keeping your alcohol intake below 14 units a week.

For the past six months, my sleeping patterns have been awful. I cannot get to sleep and lie awake for hours. So I’m constantly tired, and find it difficult to concentrate on my work. I finally called my doctor and she prescribed sleeping pills, but warned me they are highly addictive, so I must only take them occasionally. Now I’m reluctant to take even one.

A

The lifestyle changes that came with the pandemic meant a lot of people developed sleeping problems, and it can be all too easy to get into a mindset of expecting not to get to sleep when you go to bed, which becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Sleeping tablets can be helpful in breaking this cycle, and I usually advise taking them for three nights in a row, then try not to take one.

After this, you may find knowing you have a small supply available stops you becoming wound up before bed. Also try lifestyle changes such as not working too late, especially staring at a screen, eating earlier in the evening, and avoiding caffeine after 5pm. Exercise each day, as being physically tired is one of the best ways of ensuring you drop off.

+ DOCTOR’S

Q&A

ORDERS

UNDERSTANDING CHOLESTEROL TESTS

QA

Every summer I seem to get an itchy red rash under my breasts.

It clears with the cream the pharmacist recommends, but can I do anything to prevent it?

This type of skin rash, known as intertrigo, is caused by a fungal infection. Moist sweaty skin is an ideal breeding ground for fungi, so it’s a common problem at this time of year.

The worst affected areas are usually in

folds of skin, so under the breasts in women, and in the groin in men.

Treatment with an antifungal cream can be very effective, but you can help to prevent the problem by keeping the area as sweat-free as possible.

Wash the affected area twice a day, dry it really carefully, then apply an antiperspirant, ideally from a roll-on suitable for sensitive skin (yes, it sounds strange, but it works!). Wearing cotton underwear and loose clothes made from natural fibres (rather than polyester) can help too.

AND FINALLY… PRACTISING WHAT I PREACH

YTTEG :)LEDOM YB DESOP( OTOHP

After more than 24 years, this is my final column for woman&home. This past year has been extraordinary for all of us and, like many frontline NHS workers, I’ve been incredibly busy.

I’m the senior partner in a GP practice, and for the past six months, not only have we been caring for our patients as usual, but also giving COVID-19

vaccines, and that has meant very long hours in the surgery. I’ve realised, for my own physical and mental health, I need to prioritise time for hobbies, relaxation and sleep! I now know how hard it can be to let go, especially when I’ve loved working for such a fabulous magazine, but it’s time for me to say goodbye.

We all need some cholesterol in our blood, as it plays an important role in the brain, nerves and skin.

But having too much of certain types can lead to fatty deposits building up in the walls of arteries, narrowing them, and increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Cholesterol and other fats are carried around the blood attached to proteins, forming lipoproteins.

There are two main types of these: LDL cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, contains lots of cholesterol, and its job is to deliver cholesterol to the cells. Often called ‘bad’ cholesterol, if there is too much LDL in the blood, it can build up in the artery walls.

HDL cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, contains lots of protein, and very little cholesterol, and its job is to carry cholesterol away from the cells back to the liver, where it can be broken down and removed from the body.

There are also smaller quantities of other lipoproteins, including very low density and intermediate lipoproteins, similar to LDL, and cholemicrons, similar to HDL. Knowing your total cholesterol level is only partially helpful – it’s important to know the levels of HDL, which ideally should be above 1.2mmol/l, and the level of LDL, which should be below 3 mmol/l.

Another important figure is the ratio of HDL compared to the total cholesterol. Above 6 is high.

In women, oestrogen helps to lower LDL levels, so these tend to rise after the menopause. Meaning all women over 50 should have their cholesterol levels checked. Slightly raised levels can be tackled by diet alteration, but if levels remain high, statin medication is recommended. womanandhome.com 103

Wonder WALLS

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Satin Lining pink is bold and dynamic contrasted with red

Emulsion that’s tough and washable?

Crown Paints has you covered

Cheerful Mustard Jar stands out

W

106 womanandhome.com

WHERE TO BUY

NOSDUH EIZZIL :SDROW

e all know that walls tend to get left with fingerprints, scuffs and spills on them, just thanks to daily life, but this shouldn’t stop you from trying out new paint trends and redecorating your rooms.

We’ve found the secret and it isn’t regular touch-ups with a tester pot, either. Say hello to Crown Paints easyclean® Matt Emulsion. Apply this highly advanced washable, wipeable, durable and scrubbable paint to your walls, ceilings and woodwork, and immaculate interiors will be yours for the taking.

You really can count on this innovative multi-surface interior paint. It’s been independently tested for the best stain and scrub resistance, and it comes up trumps. In fact, it’s 200 times tougher

Greaseguard+ technology for extra grease resistance, has been developed to kill 99% of household germs on painted surfaces, keeping harmful bacteria at bay. And its easyclean® Bathroom Mid Sheen Emulsion boasts Mouldguard+ technology for added mould, steam and condensation resistance.

For the very latest looks in paint, choose a shade from one of Crown and more washable than a standard Paints’ inspiring new spring/summer matt emulsion, making it absolutely trend colour palettes: Witty, Cocoon perfect for busy family homes. And or Foresight. Each has a spectrum of don’t just take our word for it – it scores beautiful hues to transform your rooms. over 98% when tested by the Mumsnet Our picks include: Spring Bud green, community, earning it a trusted Mumsnet which will create serenity and a cosy feel rated badge that you can rely on. in a bedroom; Mustard Jar yellow, which So how does it work? Its patented is perfect used as a striking accent; formula has been specially developed and bold Satin Lining pink, which will with added strength to allow for regular look dynamic and cutting edge in any cleaning, making it highly durable. room. Now all that’s left to do is to Scuffs and marks can be wiped away browse the 50-plus colours, pick your easily without deteriorating the favourite shade and get painting. paintwork finish. It doesn’t contain nasty ingredients, is 99% solvent-free, and asthma and allergy friendly. So Crown Paints Easyclean® range you can trust that wherever you paint of matt emulsions is available it, you’re creating a much happier, to buy from Crownpaints.co.uk healthier home. and Homebase, as well as from What’s more, Crown Paints new leading independents. easyclean® Kitchen Matt Emulsion, with

&

HOME, FOOD TRAVEL If you do one thing this month

BAKE WITH FLOWERS Get baking this summer with a joyful treat

to share with family and friends that also celebrates seasonal produce.

With the garden in full bloom, now is the time to pick elderflowers, pansies, nasturtiums, cornflowers, primroses, herbs, cherries and berries.

Lucky enough to have a mint bush? As well as aiding digestion in fresh tea, the essential oils in mint can help cure nausea and improve concentration. If life gets a bit too much, lavender is great for stress – and tastes fantastic with chicken. Meanwhile, dandelion petals can help cure a hangover by aiding detoxification of the liver. Noted!

MOC.BUHTNETNOCERUTUF :OTOHP .EHCOR ASILE :SDROW

womanandhome.com 107

12 great GARDEN IDEAS

Get more from your outdoor space with these showcase features

1

ADD SHADE WITH A PERGOLA One of the top garden

trends, pergolas are a stylish way of adding structure and shade to a patio area. Pergolas can be attached to a house to stretch the space or used as a stand-alone feature. Train climbing greenery such as clematis and honeysuckle over a pergola and festoon with pretty lights for relaxed evening entertaining.

Wood Stain and Protect in Ebony (on pergola), £9.99 for 1ltr, protekwoodstain.co.uk

outdoor living

THE 3INTODIVIDE GARDEN ZONES

Creating different areas or ‘zones’ is a design trick that can help divide a large garden up into smaller, cosier spaces.

Great for families, separate areas for cooking and eating, a snug for relaxing and a hang-out space for teenagers, mean that family can come together (or escape each other). Use strategically positioned furniture, archways, trellis screens and landscaping to break up the space and create a transition from one area into the next. >>

2

BUILD RAISED FLOWER BEDS For gardens that are lacking

in structure, raised beds are a brilliant way of adding height and interest. They can be built almost anywhere, so are a good solution if soil and drainage is poor – plants are raised up from ground level so get more light and are easier to access for those with poor mobility. Beds can be build from brick, stone, timber or steel.

Wall in Cool Arbour 232 Intelligent Masonry Paint, £71 for 5ltrs, littlegreene.com womanandhome.com 109

4

BE BOLD WITH PAINT COLOUR

While safe neutrals have been the norm for some time now, there’s been a move towards using adventurous paint colours outdoors to make a statement. Bold shades make a great foil for foliage and flowers, but rather than taking colour wall to wall, try limiting it to small blocks on a feature wall, fence or shed.

Wall in Puck 298 Intelligent Masonry Paint, £71 for 5ltrs, littlegreene.com

outdoor living

6

CREATE A DESTINATION Giving the garden an end point

creates depth, drawing the eye in and encouraging further investigation. Invite interest with a pathway, semi-secluded seating area, or painted backdrop that creates a natural stopping point.

A 7 INTRODUCE FOCAL POINT

5

Adding a tree is a lovely way of creating a focal point. Focal points provide a visual resting spot that then encourages the eye to wander further, and can be used to highlight particular spots. Don’t overuse them, as too many will create confusion.

ENCOURAGE CALM WITH A WATER FEATURE There’s nothing more relaxing

than the soothing trickle of water outdoors. A water feature makes a lovely focal point in any sized garden, whether it’s a minimalist water bowl or a garden pond.

For smaller spaces, choose a self-contained water feature such as a bubbling sphere or bowl – water is recirculated, so they’ll need minimum maintenance. Larger water features, such as a fountain, cascade or water wall, will need a circulation and filtration system, so may need professional installation.

Similar, Corten steel pond, from £1,750, primrose.co.uk

8

WORK FROM THE GARDEN With remote working here to stay,

setting up office in the garden keeps work space separate. A garden office will need services and heating, but shouldn’t need planning permission.

TG01 garden room, from £17,245, greenretreats.co.uk >> womanandhome.com 111

AN 9LIVINGENJOY OUTDOOR ROOM

Transform your patio into an ‘outdoor room’, bridging the gap between indoors and out with a sociable set-up, comfy furniture and coordinated furnishings.

Croft Collection Burford four-seat lounging set, £1,119, johnlewis.com

11

SET UP AN OUTDOOR BAR Lockdownmeant that pubs were missed early in the year, but many got round it by building a backyard bar. Sales of outdoor bars have been high, from tiki bars to fully fitted bespoke ones, complete with wine fridge and sink.

Beach bar gazebo with stools, £350, Habitat

statement outdoors is by coordinating your planting scheme with foliage and colours that complement each other. Repeat the same plants in various places throughout the garden, arranged in small groups or clusters – odd numbers appear more natural and pleasing to the eye than even numbers.

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10

COORDINATE YOUR PLANTING An easy way of making a

12

GROW A KITCHEN GARDEN No longer just the

preserve of larger gardens and allotments, vegetable plots are becoming a regular feature in smaller gardens too. Easy-to-grow herbs, fruits and vegetables can be cultivated in compact raised beds or patio tubs, or grown vertically up the side of a shed if space is tight.

Border fork and spade, £34.99 each, dobbies.com

IDEAS FOR INDOORS

1

Swap heavy curtains for sheers Replace weighty winter drapes

with lightweight panels in linen or voile over the warmer summer months. Simple tie-top curtains are easy to put up, on a simple rod or pole – try doubling up with two panels each side in soft, coordinating colours for a chic look.

Rosa and Ice Blue stonewashed linen curtain panels with ties, £67.99 each, linenme.com

Smallchange

big difference Give your home or garden a fresh new look with these easy updates

home updates

2

Turn an empty space into a focal point by creating an indoor garden area. Plants arranged in a group look much more eye-catching than a few dotted here and there, so fix up rows of shelves and fill with potted plants in a mix of heights and varieties.

Oak and cast iron shelves, £25 and £50, gardentrading.co.uk

Fill a wall with greenery

Give a plain staircase a decorative twist by papering the stair risers. Use a patterned wallpaper in a colour that ties in with your decor for a coordinated look. Secure using extra-strength grab adhesive, then coat with matt varnish to protect. Thibaut Fair Isle wallpaper, £84 per roll, wallpaperdirect.com

4

Paint a kitchen wall

5

Brighten up a chilly, all-white kitchen by working in a warmer colour. Use harder-wearing kitchen paint, rather than regular paint, so it will be easy to wipe clean if it gets marked.

Wall in Powdered Clay Easyclean kitchen emulsion, £25 for 2.5ltrs, crownpaints.co.uk

3

Introduce a pop of pattern

Pretty-up a plain window

Create extra privacy at an overlooked window or in a bathroom by covering the glass with frosted window film. Go for a plain etched effect or add a hint of decoration with a pattern or cut-out motif. Fern centrepiece window film, from £15.63 for a 25 x 50cm window, purlfrost.com >> womanandhome.com 115

OUTDOOR IDEAS

6

Choose a blue wall

7

Add an outdoor rug Cover up cold paving or rough wooden decking by

9

Instead of sticking to white or cream, perk up a patio by painting walls a more colourful shade. Subtle shades of blue or green work well in a traditional setting, and will complement planting without overpowering. Air Force Blue 260 Intelligent Masonry Paint, £71 for 5ltrs, littlegreene.com

putting down an outdoor rug. Choose one in a weatherproof weave or easy-clean vinyl that can withstand the elements. Use a rug as the anchor point of your patio, with seating arranged sociably around it. Vinyl Tiles rug, from £55, next.co.uk 116 womanandhome.com

Hang an outdoor mirror Make a short garden feel longer by hanging an outdoor

mirror on a wall or fence. Position it strategically so that it reflects foliage and greenery (rather than brickwork), and avoid positioning in direct sunlight or higher up, where birds might fly into it. Country Garden outdoor mirror, £125, johnlewis.com

MOC.BUHTNETNOCERUTUF :SOTOHP .INAZZAF ASIL :YB DELIPMOC

8

Upcycle an old step ladder

Turn an old wooden step ladder into an outdoor plant stand. Add a couple of extra shelves (short, medium and long), painted to match the stand and screwed into place. Then simply fill with plants. Stand painted in Gentle Blue Exterior Satin paint, from £17.99 for 750ml, sandtex.co.uk

home updates

10

Create a hanging garden Brighten up the side of a shed

or drab brickwork by adding vertical wall panels. Paint in a contrasting colour and add sturdy hooks to hold mini bucket planters and garden tools.

Fill with herbs and trailing plants. Applaro wall panel (stained black), £35, ikea.com

EXTERIOR

The house dates back to 1680, while the timber-framed extension with matching slate roof was added in 2016

Second time LUCKY When this Grade II-listed farmhouse came on the market for the second time during their search, the Richards family found it impossible to resist

home inspiration

DINING ROOM

W

hen Lauren and Charlie Richards first saw the sale details of their 17th-century farmhouse, the epic scale of the renovation required dampened their enthusiasm.

The couple were looking for a property to grow into after the birth of their second daughter, Evie, who is now 13. But although the location of the house close to the market town of Ludlow was ideal, the project was too big a challenge for them to take on.

The young family moved to the area in 2005 and had been living in a barn conversion in Shropshire with their first daughter, Alice, now 15, when they embarked on the long and daunting task of finding a new, larger home. ‘When the farmhouse came on the market we were

‘I didn’t want to be isolated while my husband was working away, but Ludlow is close by and has a thriving community spirit, where everyone knows everyone’

The magnificent oak beams evoke a barn-like feel that blend well with the traditional farmhouse architecture. Teal sofa, sofa.com. Wood burner, clearviewstoves.com. Rug, oka.com. Source wishbone chairs, heals.com. Tablecloth, susiewatsondesigns.co.uk trying to sell our barn conversion, and because it needed so much work we didn’t even view it,’ says Lauren, who works part-time in a primary school, as well as co-founding LC Makeup.

Opting to rent while they remained active with their search paid off beautifully when the house came back on the market newly renovated. ‘The new owners’ circumstances had changed, so it became available at just the right time for us. We loved it – we had looked at every property as soon as it came on the market and had exhausted all the options, so we jumped to buy it, moving in in 2009,’ Lauren enthuses.

‘The closeness to Ludlow was ideal, as Charlie is an MD and away a lot with work, so although I wanted a lot of space, I didn’t want to feel isolated. I loved >>

Lauren with Maggie and Betsy at the front door that reminds her of a doll’s house womanandhome.com 119

‘I was brought up in a town, so the amazing views of the meadows beyond the garden never bore me’ the views, the history and the character of the farmhouse. It looked like a doll’s house, with the front door in the middle, and all the rooms were a good size. It also had a lovely new kitchen. All in all, it was a wonderful family home. We pushed ourselves to buy it, but we’re so glad we took the risk.’ The decision further paid off when the family welcomed their third daughter, Beatrice, now 10, and acquired two dogs, Betsy, a German Shepherd Labrador-cross and Maggie, a terrier.

Because of the recent renovation, Lauren and Charlie needed to make only light cosmetic changes. ‘We repointed the front, installed a bathroom on the top floor and added a wood burner to the dining room,’ says Lauren. ‘We then redecorated throughout to freshen up the rooms, but didn’t change the colour scheme at all, as it was exactly what I would have chosen.’

Despite its comfort, as time passed, the couple realised that the house was missing a family space. ‘I loved the idea of an open-plan kitchen/entertaining space overlooking the garden. We thought it would finish off the house, so we decided to extend. Merry Albright of Border Oak is a good friend of mine and we thought an oak-framed extension would look really lovely with the stone,’ Lauren says. Planning permission was granted and work began in December 2016, with the Border Oak frame going up in August, and joiner and builder James Mackenzie completing the carpentry, flooring and roof.

The extension has made a huge difference to family life, especially in >> 120 womanandhome.com

KITCHEN

The Shaker-style cabinets were fitted by the previous owners.

Lauren and Charlie repainted them in a breezy green shade, adding a geometric rug for a modern twist. Cabinets made by russellalexanderkitchens.co.uk, painted in Vert de Terre by farrow-ball.com.

Rug, grahamandgreen.co.uk.

Range oven, agaliving.com.

Blind in fabric by vanessaarbuthnott.co.uk

HALLWAY

The clear glass backs of these framed botanical drawings gives a modern twist to the traditional arrangement. Antique chair reupholstered in Delilah fabric by kateforman.co.uk. Walls painted in Shaded White by farrow-ball. com. Source a similar rug at anthropologie.com

home inspiration LIVING ROOM

A striking blue patterned rug anchors this otherwise calm and neutral scheme.

The large footstool doubles as a coffee table. Sofas, find similar at sofa.com. Cushions and rug, oka.com

home inspiration

ALICE’S BEDROOM

A symmetrical scheme, along with a gentle pastel palette, creates an elegant and tranquil mood. Sienna bed, featherandblack.com. Cushions, biggiebest.co.uk.

Quilt, cathkidston.com. Walls painted in Light Blue by farrow-ball.com. Tray table, coxandcox.co.uk

122 womanandhome.com

BATHROOM

Neat blue tongue and groove panelling makes a contrast to the characterful original beams. Panelling painted in Stiffkey Blue, farrow-ball.com. Ladder, biggiebest.co.uk

FLORAL INSPIRATION

In summertime Lauren picks flowers from the garden for pretty indoor arrangements. For a similar wooden tray try maisonsdumonde.com. For a similar vase, try anthropologie.com

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the summertime, when the doors are left open on to the garden. ‘We love that it has such large windows, so it’s really light, which is perfect for when I’m running make-up tutorials. It’s great all-year round and a wonderful entertaining space,’ says Lauren.

Lauren wanted the family room to have a fresh and simple interior, and has used her favourite palette of pinks and greys, along with some subtle patterns and prints, to create an eclectic feel.

‘I like to blend traditional with modern and love a mix of old and new,’ she says. ‘The house works for us because, as well as all the extra room the extension has brought us, there’s space on the top floor for friends and family to stay the night,’ says Lauren. ‘It sounds corny, but the women we bought it from said she could see one of our daughters getting married on the lawn here one day. We think this is our forever home so she may well be right!’ ✢ Follow Lauren on Instagram @the_oldfarmhouseherefordshire

Faux peony, viburnum and lamb’s ear bunch, £95, oka.com

Riga cotton rug, from £19.99, homescapesonline.com

Pirouette lamp with ikat shade, £272, pooky.com

Burnished bronze dome wall light, £75, coxandcox.co.uk

Ithaca jug, £30, gardentrading.co.uk

Clover buttoned coffee table in grey linen, £265, cotswoldco.com

Sutton two-seater sofa in Kingfisher Easy Velvet, £1,449, swooneditions.com

Textured pom-pom blush cushion, £14, dunelm.com

INAZZAF ASIL :YB DELIPMOC

Large woven basket, £24.99, homesense.com

HOW TO GET THE LOOK ✢ Opt for pale chalky tones on walls to highlight original beams in a wood-framed property. ✢ Choose plush upholstered furniture, arranged sociably to take in stunning views outside. ✢ Warm up neutrals with soft tones – from teal and grey to rose and lilac. ✢ Use woven rugs and runners to cosy up chilly stone slabs.

Abigail Ahern Parker sheepskin, £159, thegreyworks.com

Yuki wishbone chair, £160, sweetpeaandwillow.com

womanandhome.com 123

The entrance to Sissinghurst is through a range of low buildings, with the Elizabethan tower looming behind. In front is a sweep of flower meadow, sown with yellow rattle. In late summer it’s cut for hay, as it would have been in Vita and Harold’s time.

Romantic VISION

For an old-fashioned country-garden style and gorgeous planting schemes, head to Sissinghurst Castle Garden in Kent

O

ne of the UK’s most celebrated gardens, Sissinghurst is steeped in romance, harking back to a dreamlike era of drowsy summer afternoons, breathless with the scent of old roses. Almost hidden among the tall hedgerows of the Kentish Weald, the site was once a Tudor mansion. By the time it was purchased in the early 1930s by author, poet and garden designer Vita Sackville-West and her diplomat husband, Harold Nicolson, all that remained was a dilapidated Elizabethan tower and a collection of tumbledown farm buildings.

The couple spent the next 30 years awakening what they called their ‘sleeping beauty’ – Harold setting down the architectural bones and Vita applying her artistic eye to the planting. In many ways, it’s 124 womanandhome.com

a quintessential English country garden, with its red-brick walls and mullioned windows dripping with roses, cottage borders and herb beds, and an old orchard knee-deep in long grass.

Yet there are twists everywhere: the cottage garden is an experiment in marrying hot colours; the orchard trees are sturdy props for climbing roses – and where else in the home counties could you find a replica of a Greek island garden, complete with fallen columns? Then there’s the magical white garden, which Vita imagined as a moonlit landscape with a white barn owl swooping over it.

After Vita’s death in 1962, Sissinghurst was bequeathed to the National Trust, and is one of its most popular properties. Go early in the day or late in the afternoon to avoid the crowds and immerse yourself in this magical and poetic garden.

gardening inspiration

THE ROSE GARDEN Vita adored roses and declared she was ‘drunk’ on them. The garden reaches a sensory peak in June and July, with an almost overwhelming profusion of scent, colour and texture.

THE WHITE GARDEN A moonlit masterpiece, envisioned

by Vita as ‘a low sea of grey clumps of foliage, pierced here and there with tall, white flowers’. Best viewed at dusk, when the white flowers are almost luminous.

TOWER VIEW From her study on the first floor of the Elizabethan tower, Vita had a bird’s eye view of the grounds. Here you can see the strong, geometric shapes of walls, paths and hedges that define the garden. >>

gardening inspiration

Get the look

Sissinghurst weaves its magic with dense plantings and strictly controlled themes. Recreate parts of the ethereal white garden with these white and silver plants

LILIUM REGALE AGM

CISTUS X HYBRIDUS

ARTEMISIA ‘POWIS CASTLE’ AGM

For high-summer scent, it’s hard to This elegant buddleja is as much a lure for beat regal lilies. These tall perennials are butterflies as the purple form. Fragrant an English border staple, and perform and fast-growing, it carries large flowers equally well in containers. Plant bulbs on arching stems from July to September. in well-drained soil in autumn or early Unfussy about soil or aspect, it needs spring, in a sheltered, sunny nook, space to stretch but can be pruned back. and stake before they reach full height.

Available from thompson-morgan.com Available from sarahraven.com

Another sun-worshipper, Cistus, or rock rose, is an evergreen shrub that, in early summer, is covered in a profusion of crimson buds that open to papery white blooms. It is at home in a Mediterraneanstyle border, gravel garden or large pot.

It will need protection in freezing winters.

Available from crocus.co.uk 126 womanandhome.com

A semi-evergreen perennial that forms a mound of silvery, aromatic leaves. Drought tolerant, use it to line sunny paths. Fast growing (up to 60cm high), it can be cut back in spring to encourage new leaves.

Grow as a foil for coloured blooms.

Available from thompson-morgan.com

ROSE ‘MADAME ALFRED CARRIERE’ AGM

The first rose Vita planted at Sissinghurst, this is a strong climber that will clothe a north-facing wall in creamy white blooms from June, repeat flowering to September.

It can be trained over arches for a romantic vibe. It does best in fertile, well-drained soil.

Available from crocus.co.uk

COSMOS ‘PURITY’

Producing snow-white flowers from June to July, its apple-green foliage and delicate stems bring a light feel to the border. Grow from seed in May or buy in plants and put in their growing position after the last frost. It will need support if growing in a windy spot.

Available from sarahraven.co.uk

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BUDDLEJA DAVIDII ‘WHITE PROFUSION’ AGM

GREEN made easy Eco expert Rae Ritchie helps you to make Earth-friendly choices

Be an eco-hero Want to gen up on

Mattress muddle Tempted by online offers to try

a new mattress for anything up to a year? Unfortunately, these customer-friendly refund policies aren’t very environmentally friendly.

The return rates for online mattress brands are much higher than standard retailers, and because reuse and recycling of mattresses is costly and difficult, waste removal experts Divert report that 200 new mattresses are sent to landfill daily.

Research well before ordering, and send it back as a last resort.

Check out themattressguide.co.uk for comprehensive advice.

eco issues? A new book, The Eco Hero Handbook: Simple Solutions to Tackle Eco-Anxiety, by Tessa Wardley (£9.99, Ivy Press), has debates and practical advice on small changes that can make a big difference.

It covers indoors, outdoors, transport, holidays, work, food and shopping, answering questions from, ‘Is getting a smart meter a good idea?’ to ‘If we all change to electric vehicles, will it actually help?’.

EATING GREENER

It seems we’re taking notice of all those reports calling for us to change the way we eat to combat environmental issues. According to a survey by food tech start-up Spoon Guru, people in the UK are actively choosing more sustainable options. The reasons given are: to challenge eco issues caused by agricultural expansion (25%); to tackle the climate crisis (24%), and to address animal welfare (22%).

Boost those numbers by eating seasonally and shopping locally, meaning far fewer food miles, and lower carbon emissions. Shopping at a nearby farm shop makes this easy, but there are other options. Delivery services, such as Riverford and Abel & Cole, offer exclusively British-grown veg boxes, while supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s print farm details on produce so you see the distance travelled.

3SUSTAINABLE ECO-FRIENDLY BUYS TO TRY PET FOOD ECO PLANT POTS YTTEG :)SLEDOM YB DESOP( SOTOHP

Aardvark has switched the usual meat found in pet food for a more sustainable source of protein: insects. The crunchy kibble range for cats and dogs was developed by vets for optimum nutrition and comes in fully recyclable packaging; aardvark. store

Every plant pot from elho is made using recycled plastic and renewable energy, and is fully recyclable. The range currently also includes a limited-edition collection of green pots made from waste materials produced during the manufacturing of artificial grass; elho.com/en

TREES FOR WOOD The UK’s first plastic-free firewood retailer, Love Logs, offers a Fuel Kit bundle for pizza ovens, chimeneas and firepits. You’ll get British firewood, kindling and natural firelighters, plus the company plants two trees per order – over 4,000 are in the ground already; love-logs.com

DOWNLOAD IT Use the Refill app to find places where you can top up your reusable water bottle

Flavours

OFMED THE Entertaining has never been so easy, with our al fresco dishes for a wonderful get-together

Jambalaya Comfort food with summer colours, all bursting with rich flavour.

Serves 4-6 • Ready in 1 hr 1tsp vegetable oil 200g chorizo, sliced 1 onion, chopped 2 celery sticks, chopped 1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped 4 garlic cloves, crushed 1tbsp Cajun seasoning 300g long-grain rice 1tbsp tomato puree 1 tin of tomatoes 2 sprigs of fresh thyme 600ml fish stock 16 large skin-on prawns to serve: small handful of chopped parsley 150ml soured cream lime wedges

130 womanandhome.com

1 Heat the oil in a large, non-stick lidded saucepan. Add the chorizo and fry for 2-3 mins, until the oil has been released from the chorizo. Remove from the pan, leaving the oil behind, and set aside.

2 Add the onion, celery and green pepper to the pan and fry on low for 8-10 mins until softened. Add the garlic and fry for a further 2 mins.

3 Stir through the Cajun seasoning, then tip in the rice and add the chorizo back in with the tomato puree, tinned tomatoes, thyme leaves and fish stock. Give it all a good mix, pop the lid on and cook for 20 mins, stirring occasionally. If at any point it seems too dry, add a little water.

4 Grill the prawns under a hot grill. Once the jambalaya is cooked, remove from the heat and place the prawns and parsley on top before taking to the table. Serve with soured cream and lime wedges.

Per serving: 667-455 cals, 27-18g fat, 12-8g sat fat, 71-48g carbs >>

COOK’S TIP For a more classic flavour combination, replace the prawns with grilled chicken and the fish stock with chicken stock

al fresco celebration

Lamb koftas with green sauce

al fresco celebration

Lamb koftas with green sauce There’s nothing like Middle Eastern

flavours to brighten up your evening, and Levantine food is very much in fashion right now.

Makes 12 • Ready in 1 hr for the lamb koftas: 800g lamb mince 2tsp ground cumin 3tsp ground coriander 1 onion, very finely chopped 1tsp ground cinnamon 4 garlic cloves, crushed ½tsp salt ½tsp pepper for the green sauce: zest and juice of 1 lemon 20g bunch of parsley, finely chopped 4 anchovies, finely chopped 1tbsp capers, chopped 125ml olive oil 1tsp Dijon mustard you will need: 12 skewers, soaked in water for 20 mins if wooden; and 2 baking trays, lightly greased 1 Place all the lamb kofta ingredients in a large bowl and mix together with your hands. Squeeze everything together so that it combines well.

2 Weigh the mixture and divide by 12 to work out how much each kofta should weigh. This is easier than trying to guess how much to put on each skewer. With the mixture for one kofta, take a skewer and form the meat around it. It should be sausage-shaped and around 12cm long.

Repeat until you have 12 koftas.

3 Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Place 6 koftas on each baking tray – it will be easier to fit them on if you alternate the direction they are facing when you put them on the tray. Roast in the oven for 15-20 mins, turning once halfway through.

4 Make the green sauce by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and seasoning to taste. You may also wish to add more mustard depending on your preference.

5 Serve the koftas with couscous or a fresh spring green salad, and the green sauce.

Per kofta: 204 cals, 16.5g fat, 5g sat fat, 1g carbs

Cod bruschetta Fabulously fresh, these salty bites of

bread heaven will take you straight to the Italian Riviera!

Makes 14-16 • Ready in 30 mins 2 shallots, finely diced 4 anchovies, finely chopped 2 tomatoes, deseeded and finely chopped 1 red chilli, finely chopped small handful of coriander, chopped 300g cod 3tbsp olive oil, plus extra, to drizzle 1 large baguette lemon wedges, to serve 1 Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Mix the shallots, anchovies, tomatoes, red chilli (to taste) and coriander (reserving a little

for garnishing) together in a bowl, season well and leave to one side.

2 Place the cod in a roasting tin, season and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast in the oven for 15-20 mins until cooked through.

3 Remove from the oven and set aside.

Slice the baguette into 2cm-thick slices.

Toast the slices, drizzle with olive oil and spoon some of the tomato salsa on top.

Flake some cod over the salsa on each slice and top with coriander. Serve on a platter with lemon to squeeze over.

Per bruschetta: 121-106 cals, 3-2.5g fat, 0.5-0.4g sat fat, 16-14g carbs >>

COOK’S TIP Load these up – they’ll be messy but so worth it!

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Ratatouille chicken Make the most of the summer nights by

spending them outside rather than in the kitchen with this easy one-pot supper.

Serves 4 • Ready in 45 mins 1 large aubergine, chopped into chunks 2 courgettes, halved lengthways, deseeded and chopped 2 red onions, chopped 1 red pepper, chopped 1 yellow pepper, chopped small handful of pitted green olives 4 garlic cloves, bashed 4tbsp extra virgin olive oil small bunch of basil, leaves only few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked 250g cherry tomatoes, on the vine 1 lemon 4 chicken breasts, skin on you will need: a large roasting tin

Courgette and two-bean salad courgette on top. Season with salt and

One of the best things about summer is the abundance of vegetables. This salad uses up the best the season has to offer and has a mild kick, depending on how much mustard you use.

Serves 6 • Ready in 35 mins 4tbsp olive oil, plus extra for frying 2 medium courgettes, sliced 3tbsp pine nuts 225g podded broad beans 200g runner beans, trimmed and sliced juice of 1 lemon 2tsp tahini 1tsp wholegrain mustard, or to taste small handful of parsley, chopped

1 First, fry the courgettes. You may need to do this in 2-3 batches. Heat 1tsp olive oil in a large frying pan and lay slices of 134 womanandhome.com

pepper and fry for a few mins until golden.

Turn over, season the cooked side and allow the other side to cook for 2-3 mins until golden. Repeat with the remaining courgette slices. Set aside to cool.

2 Remove the oil from the pan and toast the pine nuts for 1-2 mins. Set aside.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the broad beans and runner beans for a few mins until just cooked through.

Drain well and run under cold water to cool them. Leave in the colander to dry off.

3 Place the courgettes and beans in a serving bowl. Mix together the lemon juice, the 4tbsp olive oil, tahini and mustard with a good pinch of salt and pepper to create a dressing. Pour onto the courgettes and beans and mix well.

Scatter over the parsley and pine nuts.

Per serving: 171 cals, 14g fat, 2g sat fat, 4g carbs

1 Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Mix together the aubergine, courgettes, red onions, peppers, olives and garlic in the roasting tin, drizzle over 2tbsp of the olive oil and mix with your hands. Tuck in the basil leaves and scatter over the thyme leaves.

2 Place the cherry tomatoes on top of the vegetables, quarter the lemon, squeeze the juice over the vegetables and tuck the squeezed quarters in the vegetable mix.

3 Rub the chicken breasts with the remaining 2tbsp olive oil and place skin side up on top of the vegetables. Season all over with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30-35 mins until the chicken breasts are cooked through.

Per serving: 383 cals, 17g fat, 3g sat fat, 14g carbs >>

COOK’S TIP Replace the chicken with halloumi – pop on the veg for the last 15 mins of cooking

al fresco celebration

Ratatouille chicken

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COOK’S TIP For an alcohol-free version, there are some great zeroalcohol amarettos on the market. Look out for a brand called Lyre’s online

al fresco celebration

Pistachio and amaretto semifreddo with griddled peaches A classic Italian dessert with a warm, boozy kick that goes perfectly with an after-dinner coffee.

Serves 10-12 • Ready in 45 mins, plus chilling and freezing 500ml double cream 1tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract 175ml amaretto, plus 2tbsp 4 eggs 120g caster sugar 100g pistachios, chopped 4 peaches 1tbsp butter you will need: 1.8 litre (3pt/2lb) loaf tin, lined with cling film

EHCOR ASILE :NOITCERID TRA .YESREH NHOJ :SPORP DNA SOTOHP .SKNAB MADA :GNILYTS DOOF .HTIMSDLOG LEUMAS :SEPICER

1 Around 30 mins before making, place a large bowl and the whisk/beater of an electric mixer in the fridge. Remove when ready, pour the double cream into the bowl with the vanilla paste and 2tbsp amaretto, and whisk until soft peaks form.

Place the bowl and cream in the fridge.

2 Put the eggs and sugar in a large heatproof bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until thick, pale and doubled in volume. Remove from the heat and whisk to cool.

3 Fold the cream mixture gently into the eggs along with 75g of the chopped pistachios. Pour into the prepared loaf tin and place in the freezer for at least 5 hrs, but preferably overnight.

4 Before serving, cut the peaches in half and remove the stones. Slice each half into 4-6 segments. Heat a large frying pan and fry the peach slices for 8-10 mins until starting to go golden. Pour in the 175ml amaretto and cook off the alcohol for 1-2 mins before adding in the butter. This will thicken the amaretto and create a sauce.

5 Remove the semifreddo from the freezer 10 mins before serving and serve a slice with a spoonful of the peaches and amaretto sauce.

Per serving: 596-478 cals, 44-35g fat, 23-18g sat fat, 27-22g carbs

Gooseberry hazelnut3 Whisk friands the egg whites until stiff and

The gooseberry season is short so make the most of it while you can.

Makes 8-10 • Ready in 45 mins

115g gooseberries zest and juice of 1 lemon 100g ground almonds 50g plain flour 175g icing sugar 3 medium egg whites 120g butter, melted and cooled 2tbsp chopped hazelnuts you will need: friand mould or muffin tin, greased 1 Heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Cook the gooseberries in 2tsp lemon juice over a medium heat for 3-5 mins until they just begin to burst open. Set aside to cool.

2 Combine the ground almonds and flour in a large bowl and then sift in the icing sugar. Mix well and leave to one side.

then add to the flour mix with the melted butter and lemon zest. Fold carefully until combined.

4 Spoon the batter into the friand moulds so they are around threequarters full, then place a spoonful of the gooseberry mix on top, plus a sprinkling of chopped hazelnuts. Bake for 12-14 mins until the friands have slightly risen and are lightly golden.

Per friand: 339-271 cals, 22-17.5g fat, 9-7g sat fat, 28-22.5g carbs

COOK’S TIP If you can’t find gooseberries, use sliced Victoria plums instead

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Midsummer lightbites

As the days get warmer, take your lunches outside with these Scandiinspired recipes

Cottage cheese, cucumber & radish

Beetroot, egg & pumpkin seed

feel good recipes

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o rh s u M womanandhome.com 139

feel good recipes

Cottage cheese, cucumber & radish open sandwiches In Denmark, this

recipe is often made with ‘rygeost’ – a young smoked cheese. It’s hard to get outside of Denmark, so use cottage cheese.

Makes 2 open sandwiches 2 slices of dark rye bread, buttered 1 x 10cm piece of cucumber, halved, deseeded and shaved very thinly 6 large radishes (or more if smaller) 200g tub cottage cheese 2tbsp freshly snipped chives, plus extra to garnish freshly squeezed lemon juice, to taste salt and freshly ground black pepper handful of watercress or Indian cress, to garnish

Makes 2 open sandwiches 2 slices of dark rye bread, buttered 150g beetroot salad 2 not quite hard-boiled eggs, quartered 2tsp capers, finely chopped (optional) alfalfa or beetroot/beet sprouts 2tbsp toasted and chopped walnuts pumpkin seeds, to garnish salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 Divide the beetroot salad across the base of the two slices of buttered bread.

2 Arrange the eggs on top (one egg per slice). Scatter over the capers (if using), alfalfa sprouts and walnuts.

Garnish with pumpkin seeds. Season well with plenty of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Mushroom paj In August, wild

mushrooms start to appear in the Norwegian forests.

If you can find golden chanterelles, fry 1 Arrange the ribbons of cucumber on them in butter and the rye bread, folded back on themselves eat them on toasted once. This layer of cucumber will protect bread. Another way is by making this the bread from getting soggy too quickly ‘paj’ – pronounced ‘pie’, which is actually more like a quiche or a tart. from the cottage cheese.

2 Chop three-quarters of the radishes into small pieces and finely slice the rest Makes 1 large tart into thin rounds. Put the cottage cheese in a bowl and add the chopped radishes for the cheese pastry: and chives. Add lemon juice and salt and 125g butter, cold and cubed 200g plain flour pepper to taste and mix well.

50g finely grated Västerbotten cheese 3 Split the cottage cheese mixture ¼tsp salt (Västerbotten is salty, so between the two slices of bread and garnish with the rounds of radish, chives adjust if using a different cheese) and the cress. Serve with plenty of extra 1 egg yolk small dash of chilled water (if needed) freshly ground black pepper. egg white, for brushing for the mushroom filling: 500g mushrooms (see tip) 25g unsalted butter 1tbsp plain flour 2 large shallots 2 sprigs fresh thyme You don’t always need meat or fish to freshly ground black pepper make a really satisfying open sandwich. for the egg filling: The vegetarian topping combinations 250ml whole milk can be just as exciting and diverse.

250ml double cream

Beetroot, egg & pumpkin seed open sandwiches

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3 eggs freshly grated nutmeg 30-35g finely grated Västerbotten cheese you will need: 25cm loose-based tart pan; and baking beans 1 In a food processor, briefly blitz the pastry ingredients together to form a dough, adding a tiny bit of chilled water if needed to bring it together. If you don’t have a food processor, you can do this by hand, by first rubbing the butter into the flour with your fingertips until crumbly, then adding the rest of the ingredients and mixing until smooth. Wrap the pastry in cling film and rest in the fridge for 30 mins before using.

2 In a saucepan, dry-fry all the mushrooms for several mins (this concentrates the flavour and avoids too much liquid). Add the butter, flour, shallots and thyme and then cook on a low heat with the lid on for 3 mins. Season with black pepper (not salt at this stage).

3 Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Roll out the chilled pastry until nice and thin and use to line the tart pan evenly. Prick the base with a fork a few times, then line the pastry with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Blind bake in the oven for about 15 mins. Remove from the oven and immediately brush all over with egg white to seal the crust. Turn the oven temperature down to 160C/Gas 3.

4 Whisk all the egg filling ingredients together (apart from the cheese) and season well. Add the cooked mushrooms (try not to add too much liquid). Pour the egg mix on top, add the grated cheese and bake in the preheated oven for around 30 mins. Keep the heat low – too hot and the eggs will overcook. Serve for lunch with a leafy green salad and a glass of crisp white wine in the sunshine. >>

TIP You can use all chanterelles or mix it up with chestnuts, chanterelles, porcini, or whatever is available

Raw courgette salad with Västerbotten cheese

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Summer fruit roulade with lemon thyme

In Swedish, these are called ‘rulltårta’ – literally, ‘rolling cake’. Fill with pastry cream and any summer fruits you can find. It’s a super-versatile cake.

Serves 8-10 for the sponge: 120g caster sugar 4 eggs 100g plain flour 25g ground almonds ¼tsp salt 1¾tbsp butter, melted 1tsp vanilla sugar or extract for the filling: 1 nectarine or peach 120g redcurrants 20 leaves fresh lemon thyme, or to taste for the pastry cream: 1 egg yolk 1 whole egg 3 heaped tsp cornflour 30g caster sugar ¼tsp salt 500ml whole milk seeds from 1 vanilla pod 25g unsalted butter extra red or white currants, to garnish icing sugar, to garnish you will need: 35 x 30cm Swiss roll tin, lined with baking parchment

1 For the pastry cream, whisk together the eggs, cornflour, sugar and salt and set aside. Heat the milk and vanilla seeds in a saucepan, until just boiling. Pour one-third of the milk into the egg mixture, whisking vigorously. Pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan.

Whisk continuously and bring to the boil until thickened. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Pour into a bowl and cool with parchment on top to prevent a skin forming. Refrigerate for a few hours before using.

2 Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 3. For the sponge, in a stand mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until ribbon stage (the whisks should leave a trail in the mixture when lifted).

3 Sift together the flour, ground almonds and salt. Fold very gently into the egg mixture – you want to keep all the air

bubbles. Lastly, gently fold in the melted butter and vanilla.

4 Pour the cake mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 12-15 mins or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and roll it around a clean tea towel when still slightly warm; allow it to cool this way to avoid cracking.

5 Meanwhile, chop the peach or nectarine and mix with the redcurrants and lemon thyme leaves. Place in a sieve over a bowl to drain excess liquid.

6 Once, cooled, carefully unroll the cake and evenly spread with a layer of pastry cream, then spoon the fruit mixture across. Carefully start rolling the cake tightly around the fruit – ending with the edge of the cake underneath. Chill until ready to eat. Garnish with more berries and a dusting of icing sugar.

feel good recipes

Raw courgette salad with Västerbotten cheese It’s the saltiness of the cheese that really lifts the raw courgette – and with the dressing as well as the nuts, it makes for a really lovely side dish.

Serves 2-3 50g flaked almonds 2 medium-sized courgettes 1 small bunch of rocket (or other strong-flavoured salad leaves) 50g Västerbotten cheese, shaved (or use a good Pecorino instead) for the dressing: 3tbsp olive oil 1tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice 1tbsp white wine vinegar ¼tsp Dijon mustard 1tsp sugar salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 Lightly toast the almonds over a gentle heat in a dry frying pan and set aside.

2 Shave the courgettes into thin strips lengthways. You can use a mandoline for this. You want long, thin, flat strips.

Place the courgette strips in a big bowl, then add the leaves and mix gently. Add the cheese and fold in.

3 Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl, whisk well and season to taste. This salad doesn’t need much dressing, so don’t pour it all on at once – taste as you go along.

4 Scatter the toasted almonds on top of the salad and serve at once.

EHCOR ASILE :YB DELIPMOC

TIP You can use a peeler for the courgettes, but try to peel whole, thin slices lengthways, as it looks better on the plate

Annika’s rhubarb drink 3 Transfer the collected juices back into

This is not a cordial, but just a great way to use up a glut of rhubarb.

Makes about 1.15 litres

1kg rhubarb 1 litre of water 350g caster sugar freshly squeezed juice of 1½ lemons, or more if needed 4 cardamom pods (or 1 vanilla pod) you will need: muslin; sterilised glass bottles 1 Cut the rhubarb into roughly 2.5cm pieces. Place in a large saucepan with the water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 mins without stirring.

2 Sieve the rhubarb through muslin, collecting the juices in a new bowl. Don’t touch the fruit, don’t push it through – just let the liquid come through on its own.

the saucepan on the stove and discard the fruit pulp. Add the sugar, lemon juice and cardamom or vanilla to the pan.

Note that rhubarb juice can be quite sickly if you don’t add enough acidity, so be generous with the lemon juice.

4 Bring back to the boil and stir a little to allow the sugar to melt completely, then turn off the heat and leave to cool. If needed, pour through a sieve again to remove any bits of spices or fruit. Decant into sterilised glass bottles and keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Dilute to taste to serve. ✢ Extracted From ScandiKitchen Midsommar by Brontë Aurell (£18.99, Ryland Peters & Small).

Photos: Peter Cassidy womanandhome.com 143

Cocktail anyone?

We don’t like to play favourites with cocktails, but a classic gin and tonic is hard to beat. Impress your guests with this trio of classics with a twist

Southside

Gin’s answer to a mojito. If you want a longer serve, top it up with soda water and serve in a highball glass with a small mint sprig.

MAKES 1 50ml Hernö Gin 25ml lime juice 15ml sugar syrup mint leaves, with extra for garnish you will need: coupe glass and a cocktail shaker 1 Add the gin, lime juice, sugar syrup and mint leaves to the cocktail shaker with ice and shake well.

2 Double strain into the coupe glass and garnish with the remaining mint leaves.

gin recipes

The Bramble Lightly fruity without being sickly,

this pretty gin refresher works with a lemon wedge or berry garnish.

GNIHSILBUP ERUTUF ROF SNOITACINUMMOC YRGNUH :SOTOHP DNA SEPICER .EHCOR ASILE :SDROW

MAKES 1

NOT DRINKING?

10ml White Heron British Cassis 50ml Conker Gin 25ml lemon juice You can’t beat Seedlip 15ml sugar syrup for a non-alcoholic for the garnish: alternative. lemon wedges blackberries you will need: rocks or tumbler glass, and a cocktail shaker 1 Add the cassis to the glass and fill with crushed ice.

2 Shake the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup together with ice in the shaker.

3 Pour the mixture on top of the crushed ice and stir gently. Garnish with lemon wedges and/or blackberries and serve immediately.

Tom Collins With just four ingredients, this long, tall

American cocktail dates back 145 years.

They knew what they were doing.

MAKES 1 50ml Hernö Old Tom Gin 25ml lemon juice 15ml sugar syrup soda for the garnish: lemon wheel you will need: highball glass 1 Add the gin, lemon juice and sugar syrup to your glass.

2 Fill with crushed ice and stir.

3 Top with soda to your liking. Garnish with a wheel of lemon and serve. womanandhome.com 145

easy entertaining

TIP

For a fun alternative, use apricot jam and fresh figs, or come up with your own combo of fresh and cooked fruit.

Share the love Serve up the best snacks and nibbles for any occasion

New fondue Make this new take on fondue with any whole wheel of soft-ripened cheese.

Serves 2-4 • Ready in 30 mins

for the baked cheese: 115g whole soft-ripened cheese (such as Brie, Camembert or Cambozola) 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced 2 sprigs of thyme 1tsp honey for the garlic croutons: ¼ baguette, cut into ½cm slices 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil flaky sea salt 1 garlic clove for the chicory: ½ small head of chicory or radicchio 1tsp fresh lemon juice

1tsp red wine vinegar sea salt and black pepper extra-virgin olive oil to serve: fig jam or other preserves; apricots, halved or quartered if large, or other fresh fruit

1 To make the baked cheese and croutons: Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.

Remove any packaging from the cheese and place in a ramekin or small baking dish. Score a crosshatch pattern in the top. Insert the slices of garlic into the cheese, lay the thyme sprigs on top and drizzle over the honey. Put the ramekin on a baking sheet and set aside.

2 Spread the baguette slices out in a single layer on the baking sheet alongside the cheese. Drizzle the bread evenly with the oil and sprinkle with flaky salt.

3 Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10-12 mins, flipping the bread after 5 mins. The croutons should be golden and the cheese gooey. If the croutons finish before the cheese, remove them and leave the cheese a few mins longer. Rub the croutons with the garlic clove while still hot.

4 Dress the chicory: Just before serving, pull apart the chicory or radicchio into individual leaves and tear into pieces about the size of a tortilla chip. Toss with the lemon juice and vinegar in a large bowl.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle with oil and toss gently to coat.

5 Assemble: Set the baked cheese (in its ramekin) on a board and spoon fig jam on top. Arrange the croutons, chicories and apricots on the board. Everything can be dipped into the melty cheese except the apricots. >>

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1tbsp pomegranate molasses, plus more to drizzle ½tsp smoked paprika ¼tsp chilli flakes ¼tsp cumin seeds ¼tsp fine sea salt black pepper to serve: stack of pita bread, warmed, or wholewheat sesame crackers; Labne or Greek yogurt; radishes, sliced or cut into wedges for dipping; sheep or goat’s cheese marinated in olive oil

TIP

If you’d like a more loose hummus, mix in another 1tbsp of ice water.

Lebanese lunch (hummus with muhammara) This vegetarian board is ideal for a 400g can of chickpeas, drained leisurely meal. All the dipping and swooping of the warm pita in the lemony hummus feels indulgent and really satisfying.

Serves 4-6 • Ready in 25 mins for the hummus: 1 garlic clove, crushed 60ml fresh lemon juice sea salt and black pepper 1tbsp tahini 148 womanandhome.com

and rinsed 2-3tbsp ice water extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle za’atar, to sprinkle for the muhammara: 30g walnuts 225g jar of roasted peppers, drained and rinsed 2tbsp dried plain breadcrumbs 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 To make the hummus: In a food processor, combine the garlic, lemon juice, and ½tsp of salt. Rest for 5 mins. Add the tahini and chickpeas and blend to a smooth paste. While the machine is spinning, drizzle in 2tbsp of ice water. Stop the machine and scrape the sides. Season to taste. Blend until super creamy, then spoon into a small serving bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with za’atar.

2 To make the muhammara: Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for around 6 mins, being careful not to burn them.

Blend the toasted walnuts and all the other muhammara ingredients until completely smooth. Season to taste and then transfer to another small serving bowl and drizzle with pomegranate molasses.

3 Assemble: Serve the pita (whole or in wedges) on the board alongside the hummus, muhammara, radishes and cheese. Spoon some Labne into another small bowl and season.

✢ Extracted from Boards, Platters, Plates

by Maria Zizka (Artisan Books). © 2021. Photos: Graham Bradley

best BEACHES Britain’s

Grab your bucket and spade and head to one of our own beautiful stretches of sand

B

y the time you read this, holidays abroad could be on, off, or anything in-between – but banking on staying in Britain means there’s less chance of disappointment. From turquoise waters and wide stretches of white sands, to family favourites and nature-rich reserves, these isles have everything you could ask for.

We’ve rounded up a selection to prove that Britannia and her beaches really do rule the waves. Just cross your fingers and pray for sunshine this summer.

152 womanandhome.com

1

Bamburgh Beach,Gospels Northumberland manuscripts – and the

BEST FOR SANDY STROLLS WHY One of the best things about taking a walk along this dramatic, breaker-lined expanse is the presence of the imposing Bamburgh Castle, said to be more than 1,400 years old. It has been an Anglo-Saxon citadel, a Norman stronghold and a royal seat. Visit its fascinating rooms, including the magnificent King’s Hall at its centre (bamburghcastle.com).

From the castle, look out on to Holy Island – birthplace of the Lindisfarne

Farne Islands, home to thousands of migrating seabirds each summer, and one of the UK’s largest grey seal colonies. Dolphins are a regular sight leaping from the waters below.

STAY The Bamburgh Castle Inn overlooks the harbour, and those with balcony views catch the sunrise above the sea, and the flash of Inner Farne and Longstone lighthouses at night. Rooms from £149 per night; inncollectiongroup.com

UK breaks

2

Barafundle Bay, Pembrokeshire BEST FOR NATURAL BEAUTY

Swim in turquoise waters at Barafundle

WHY Often described as the jewel in the crown of Pembrokeshire, it has even made the world’s best beaches list, beating the likes of Bondi in Sydney, and Copacabana in Rio. It can only be accessed by the cliff path, offering stunning views of the coastline. South of the beach is a fabulous stretch of coast path leading to Stackpole Head, a tufted plateau that juts into the sea. It’s only half a mile from Barafundle through the National Trust’s Stackpole Estate, with The Boathouse Tea-room offering the chance to watch the waves at Stackpole Quay.

STAY Grove of Narberth, a country house hotel with rooms from £260 per night; thegrove-narberth.co.uk

3

Horseshoe-shaped magic: Lulworth Cove

Lulworth Cove, Dorset BEST FOR BUDDING

PHOTOGRAPHERS WHY A striking, horseshoe-shaped cove with a pebble beach, Lulworth was formed more than 10,000 years ago by sea erosion. It’s part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, and home to rock pools at low tide, which are perfect for exploring with little ones. Lulworth is reachable along the South West Coast Path National Trail and linked to another photogenic local icon, Durdle Door, a striking, natural limestone arch. Both are owned by the Lulworth Estate, whose 17th century castle, the historic seat of the Weld family, you can also visit (lulworth.com).

STAY If you’re gathering the clan, stay at a magnificent, 10-bedroomed holiday home that overlooks the cove itself. It has two spacious terraces from which to drink in those views, an indoor pool, and its own bar. From £1,999 per night/£99.50 per person (sleeps 20); stayonedegree.com >> womanandhome.com 153

Enjoy Broadstairs’ retro ambience

4

Broadstairs, Kent BEST FOR OLD-FASHIONED CHARM

WHY A cosy town peppered with fishermen’s cottages, retro ice cream parlours, surf schools and chic shops, Broadstairs has seven sandy beaches and bays to choose from. Its main, Viking Bay, is home to the harbour and a clifftop promenade, while Botany Bay impresses with a series of towering, bright white chalk stacks.

When you’re bored of the beach, embark on the Viking Coastal Trail (explorekent.org/activities/viking-coastaltrail), a 32-mile circular cycle and walking route past sights such as the Viking ship at Pegwell Bay, the Towers and Roman Fort at Reculver, and the picturesque harbour at Ramsgate.

STAY Fagin’s Den is a 19th-century holiday cottage that pays homage to frequent Broadstairs visitor Charles Dickens, with memorabilia, artwork, books and period furniture to add to the atmosphere.

From £155 per night (sleeps four); holidaycottages-broadstairs.co.uk 154 womanandhome.com

5

Cuckmere Haven, Sussex BEST FOR DRAMATIC SCENERY

6

Wells-nextthe-Sea, Norfolk BEST FOR NATURE LOVERS

WHY With its grassy dunes, colourful beach huts, salt marshes and historic harbour, Wells is a picture-perfect WHY It doesn’t get more impressive seaside location with award-winning than the Seven Sisters chalk cliffs, which fish and chips (from French’s fish rise from the pebble beach at Cuckmere shop; frenchs.co.uk). While it has its Haven. The shoreline offers the kind of own small beach, it neighbours wider peace you may not find in neighbouring Holkham, part of a glorious shoreline towns Rye and Eastbourne. that runs along the North Norfolk STAY Cuckmere Lodge, Alfriston, from coast, a designated Area of £889 (sleeps five); bramleyandteal.co.uk Outstanding Natural Beauty. Wells is part of Holkham Nature Chalk cliffs at Reserve – the largest coastal Cuckmere Haven reserve in England – a magnet for birdwatchers keen to see its wading birds, marsh harriers and winter geese.

The Holkham Hall Estate (holkham.co.uk) is surrounded by walking and cycling trails, while you can visit the 18th-century, Palladianstyle hall, the seat of the Earl of Leicester.

STAY The Old Print Shop in nearby Holt is a stylish cottage that sleeps two. From £488 per week; originalcottages.co.uk

UK breaks

Hunt for sea glass at Seaham Beach Iconic beach huts at Wells Catch the best waves at Fistral Beach

7

Fistral Beach, Newquay, Cornwall BEST FOR WATERSPORTS YTTEG :SOTOHP .RALLIM ARUAL :SDROW

WHY It’s no secret that Newquay is a surfers’ paradise, but it’s also popular for stand-up paddleboarding, wild sea swimming, kayaking and jet-skiing. Fistral plays host to many of these activities, thanks to the two headlands that create powerful waves. Other draws include superb seafood restaurants, as well as the Lappa Valley steam railway and the island of St Michael’s Mount.

STAY Fistral Beach Hotel is adults-only and overlooks the beach. Rooms from £145 per night; fistralbeachhotel.co.uk

8

Seaham Beach, Durham BEST FOR HISTORY LOVERS

WHY This harbour town on Durham’s Heritage Coast boasts a beach that’s regarded as one of the best in the county. The poet Lord Byron obviously agreed, as he once lived here. The sand sweeps half a mile to the north of the town, and if you head beyond to Nose’s Point, Hawthorn Dene and Easington Beach Banks, you’ll find a haven for flora and fauna. One of the area’s quirkier traits is its profusion of sea glass, thanks to its industrial past – waste glass still washes up as colourful pebbles. For views out to the North Sea, take the Heritage Coast Footpath, an 11-mile walk from Seaham south to Crimdon.

STAY Seaham Hall is where Byron married his love Anne Milbanke; today it’s a stylish five-star hotel. Rooms from £315 per night; seaham-hall.co.uk

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Take in the views at Oddicombe

Oddicombe, Devon BEST FOR FAMILIES

WHY A sprawling arc of shingle, perfect for paddling, Oddicombe beach sits to the north of Torquay on the splendid English Riviera, under a set of craggy cliffs. Oddicombe is a key site of the English Riviera UNESCO Global Geopark, with its limestones twisted and turned by geological forces.

STAY OYO Orestone Manor is a family-run country house hotel, and some bedrooms have a private hot tub.

From £85 per night; oyorooms.com

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Scarista Beach, Isle of Harris BEST FOR FAR-FLUNG VIBES

WHY With its crystal-clear, azure waters, Scarista feels more like St Lucia than Scotland. Harris, a National Scenic Area, is ideal for observing some of the British Isles’ rarer species, such as otters, seals and eagles. There are also many beautiful walking and cycling routes.

STAY Blue Reef Cottage, Scarista village. £1,850 (seven nights); oneoffplaces.co.uk

Beautiful Scarista looks like the Caribbean womanandhome.com 155

Where the

WILD THINGS ARE…

Julia Bradbury’s recent South African safari trip was a spectacular experience. Here, she shares her tips on how to make the most of a similar excursion – so add one to your bucket list and get planning

safari special

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S

outh Africa has always had a special place in my heart.

Not only do I have friends and family there, the stunning landscapes are phenomenal and so distinct.

There’s the inland safari areas; the Western Cape, where the all great South African wines come from: and the beautiful craggy cliffs of the Cape of Good Hope. Then there’s the forests and lagoons along the Garden Route, and the incredible mountains, from Table Mountain in Cape Town to the Drakensberg range.

Every time I go back there, I see a different kind of South Africa. And it’s the same with safaris. I’ve been doing them for 25 years now, and each time I learn something new. I really do believe that to see animals in the wild is the most breathtaking and exciting thing you can do as a human being.

Before lockdown, I went on a spectacular seven-night adventure with TUI Tours. For the first time ever, I did a walking safari, and discovered a whole other level of sensory expectation and experience. We saw wildebeest and antelope, and while we didn’t encounter any of the Big Five – elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, lion and leopard – to see animals when you’re at their level is a whole different thing.

On a walking safari, your guides really come into their own. They point out and interpret the tracks on the ground – telling you that a snake has been there three hours before, or that a leopard has recently walked past.

The landscapes are the natural cities that belong to the animals. Every plant and every shrub has a purpose, and on a walking safari, you develop true respect for the ecosystem and how it supports everything.

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South Africa’s special charm and amazing safari experiences have brought Julia back time and time again

The tour also included game drives in the legendary Hluhluwe Game Reserve.

Here a team dedicated to conservation has managed to bring the white rhino back from the brink of extinction. It was an incredibly special experience when, as our vehicle stopped, we found ourselves at arm’s length from a mother rhino and her baby.

We also saw monkeys, antelopes, warthogs and lots of fascinating birdlife.

On a previous trip in Africa, we came face to face with an enormous elephant.

It suddenly came out from the bush and stopped right in front of us. It was so beautiful. It looked right at us, flapped its ears, raised its trunk, and then turned and walked away into the trees. Those kinds of experiences stay with you forever.

And it’s why safaris are so magical.

JULIA’S SAFARI GUIDE

✢ Take your time. I’d recommend doing a safari over several days – you’re more likely to see a greater variety of animals. ✢ Get a guide. They make a big difference – they have invaluable knowledge of the animals, their habits and their movements. ✢ Pack the right stuff. Bring your own binoculars and layer up. It’s cold in the mornings when you do the dawn game drive – the best time for seeing predators – but it warms up. When the sun rises, you’ll want to unpeel those layers.

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safari special

Sensational SAFARI destinations

Keen to follow Julia and hit the trail as soon as you can? Add these countries to your list…

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NO-TROUBLE NAMIBIA Home to the world’s oldest desert and

Namibia’s tough conditions don’t stop its wildlife from thriving – it’s the place to visit if you want to see a variety of animals

one of the driest places on Earth, it’s a wonder anything can survive in Namibia’s sparse and barren landscapes. And yet wildlife here does thrive, with elephants, zebras, giraffes, lions and leopards all living within this country’s raw wilderness.

From one of the tallest sand dunes in the world to a coastline littered with shipwrecks, this is a truly unforgettable destination. But the best part? It’s easy to do independently. The roadsare excellent, so hire a car and strike out on your own.

BOOK IT Hayes & Jarvis offers a 13-night ‘Classic Namibia’, a self-drive tour that explores the Fish River Canyon, the Namib Desert and Etosha National Park. The tour is priced from £4,199 per person, including flights, car hire, excursions and half-board accommodation; hayesandjarvis.co.uk >>

‘To see animals in the wild is the most breathtaking thing you can do as a human being’

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India provides an original safari experience to the standard, with tigers, monkeys and exotic birds all on display

safari special

EXOTIC INDIA

A deeply compelling safari destination, this country is home to the endearing Indian elephant and countless curious monkeys – plus you might spot big cats. Tiger numbers have seen a drastic increase in recent years, with 3,000 of the majestic feline creatures in the wild right now, so there’s never been a better time to search for these famously elusive animals among the foliage of Bandhavgarh, Kanha and Tadoba national parks.

Meanwhile, there’s other stunning flora and fauna not to be missed, with colourful exotic birds, sloth bears – and even leopards, if you’re lucky.

BOOK IT Hayes & Jarvis runs a 14-night ‘In Search of Tiger’ tour, from £3,699 per person, including flights, transfers, excursions as specified, and accommodation with breakfast daily and full-board in the national parks. An overnight train between Agra and Katni is also included; hayesandjarvis.co.uk

By booking a safari trip in Uganda, you’ll be supporting their Wildlife Authority, in undoing the devastation done to the country’s wildlife at the hands of poachers

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UNDISCOVERED UGANDA This east African nation isn’t on many

travellers’ safari radar, and has a turbulent past when it comes to wildlife, with ex-president Idi Amin allowing the country’s creatures to be poached in the 70s. Today, the Uganda Wildlife Authority is slowly helping repopulate its many national parks, making it an astonishing destination for animal lovers.

This is one of the few countries where you can see the Big Five, plus mountain gorillas and chimpanzees. You can do it in style at Volcanoes Safaris luxury lodges, from which a portion of the profits is put back into the local communities.

BOOK IT Africa Odyssey is offering three nights at Kyambura Gorge Lodge and three nights at Bwindi Lodge, including chimp trekking, nature hikes and a Kazinga Channel boat cruise, from £4,650 per person (two people sharing a room), including all transfers, internal flights and international flights on Kenya Airways; africaodyssey.com >>

safari special

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CANADIAN ENCOUNTERS You won’t find the Big Five here, and it’s

‘These kinds of experiences stay with you forever’

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Spot whales and bears in Canada, where you will experience a completely different landscape to traditional safari locations

not the most obvious safari destination, but Canada does have some stunning wildlife, and its national parks and natural landscapes are majestic enough to match any African vista.

British Columbia is the place to go for amazing encounters from the sea.

From remote outposts like Port Hardy, you can hop on a boat and within a few minutes be in bear country. From the water you might spot black bears playing on the grasslands, or grizzly bears hiding within the trees.

Out on the ocean, watch out for orcas, humpback or minke whales, and seals basking on the rocky shores. This region has its fair share of intriguing culture too, with indigenous First Nations communities still living here, creating artwork and maintaining their traditions.

BOOK IT Discover the World offers escorted tours for spotting whales and bears, from £1,848 excluding flights (four nights, May-October); discover-the-world.com

N SUMMER

BOOK FESTIVAL The sun is out, so relax with a bumper Book Club special, packed with the best authors, short stories and reviews

2021

SUMMER READING specıal

o matter where you’re going or what you’re doing, summer is the perfect time to lose yourself in a book.

So a very warm welcome to our 14-page summer reading special. Book Club editor Zoe West brings you reviews of all the latest titles, plus revealing interviews with the unflinching Lionel Shriver and The Familiars author Stacey Halls, whose new book explores the darker side of Edwardian family life.

In our exclusive short stories, there’s poignant and thought-provoking fiction from top authors Fanny Blake and Clare Mackintosh. We also delve into the top 20 best novels of all time, as voted for by you.

And, if going away remains a dream, relish the wonderful literary destinations picked by some of our favourite writers in Books to Escape With. >>

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July’ s BOOK CLUB Our books editor Zoe West gives us her favourite picks for the month, plus Lionel Shriver shares her writing secrets

GRAN DESIGNS

The Long Way Home by Fanny Blake (£20, HB, Simon & Schuster) When Isla, a 65-year-old grandmother, is left nothing in her mother’s will, her curiosity leads her on a journey of self-discovery. Embarking on a road trip with her reluctant teenage granddaughter, along the way, family truths and secrets come to light, and the repercussions of past mistakes are clear to see. Fanny Blake is a master at leading us gently through the complexities of life.

MURDER MYSTERY

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (£14.99, HB, Orion) From the recordbreaking author of The Silent Patient, set against the iconic backdrop of Cambridge University.Therapist Mariana is called to the university by her niece, Zoe, because her closest friend has been murdered.

There she encounters Edward Fosca, the charismatic Greek Tragedy professor. He may be adored by staff, students and a secret society of female students known as The Maidens, but she is certain he is a murderer. Nothing short of genius.

BOOK EYE-OPENER Husbands by OF THE The Chandler Baker (£14.99, MONTH HB, Little, Brown)

Every once in a while there’s a book that stays with you – whether the subject resonates, makes you think or quite simply shocks. The Husbands does all that, and more. Successful attorney Nora is house-hunting, which takes her to a small neighbourhood where women aren’t the only ones making sacrifices in life. Here, it’s men who remember birthdays and do the ironing – and Nora feels her eyes have been opened. But when she’s pulled in to help solve a wrongful death case, she realises just what it might cost to ‘have it all’.

PAST LOVE

The River Between Us

by Liz Fenwick (£8.99, PB, HQ) After the break-up of her marriage, Theo moves into a dilapidated cottage on the banks of the Tamar river to start afresh. As she starts to restore it and the overgrown garden, she discovers a cache of letters that reveal a World War One love story and some remarkable family connections. The pace really picks up when the story and relationships take some intriguing twists and turns that will have you gripped.

PAPERBACKS OF THE MONTH

SPLIT LOYALTIES

The Lies We Tell by Jane Corry (£7.99, PB, Penguin) Would you lie for someone you love? Super sensible Tom and artistic Sarah are an unlikely couple with very different pasts, which catch up with both of them once they decide to marry. But it’s not until their teenage son confesses to killing someone that their differences become even more apparent. Tom wants to tell the police, while Sarah does not. It soon becomes clear there are three sides of the story – Sarah’s, Tom’s and the truth.

✢ The Extraordinary Hope of Dawn Brightside by Jessica Ryn

FAMILY STRIFE

Sorrow and Bliss

by Meg Mason (£14.99, HB, Orion) Martha Freil declares herself to be unlikeable, yet everyone declares she is the opposite, including her husband Patrick. So why has he left, and why does everything feel broken? Forced to return to live with her dysfunctional family, Martha needs to realise that, while she needs them, they also need her. Meg Mason has the ability to keep the reader alongside and sharing in the hope every step of the way.

STRONG WOMEN

Widowland by CJ Carey (£14.99, HB, Quercus) In this alternative London, after Britain’s settlement with Nazi Germany, history and literature itself is being rewritten, and no one can really trust or be trusted for fear of state recrimination. Women are allocated ‘castes’, which affect every aspect of their lives. But the authorities fear that insurrection is brewing in the ‘Widowland’ slums. Chilling and challenging in equal measure.

HOW I WRITE

Lionel Shriver

American journalist and author Lionel Shriver is an international bestseller, whose novel We Need to Talk About Kevin saw her win the Orange Prize for Fiction.

Her new novel, Should We Stay Or Should We Go, explores a couple’s decision to end their lives when they turn 80.

I always find writing a new novel daunting. You’d think one would get better at it! One day, I just start. What drives me is boredom.

Inspiration hit when speaking to a friend of mine. She was about 60 and declared she didn’t want to live beyond the age of 80.

While I’m still forming the book in my head, I’ll throw out the central premise and see how people react.

But once I start writing, no one will hear anything until I’ve finished.

2021 SUMMER

READING specıal

The most challenging thing about writing a novel? Coming up with the idea and realising that having an idea has got you exactly nowhere.

I’m fearless as a writer because I’m an idiot. I don’t worry what people think. If I were on social media I’d never write another word in my life.

The best advice I’ve been given is, ‘Get on with it.’ The best advice I dish out is, ‘Learn to see the words on the page.’ You have to clear off all these notions of what you have written and see the actual text – the sentences and what they say. That’s a lot harder than you might think.

Should We Stay or Should We Go is out on 10 June (£18.99, HB, Borough Press).

WHAT I’M READING

LLEWOD NASUS YB SSILB DNA WORROS FO WEIVER

What are youWe’dreading? love to hear

FINDING RUBY is a debut novel by Jemima Price. She transports you so vividly, you feel the terror of the tsunami.

I laughed and cried.

Anne Price, Creuse, France

A DUTIFUL BOY is an autobiography by successful barrister Mohsin Zaidi, also a gay Muslim. This is the story of his struggle with his identity.

Wendy Williams, Stratford-upon-Avon

I love books by Katie Fforde. I read her short story in w&h, now I’m reading her novel A SPRINGTIME AFFAIR – it’s just right for now.

Veronica van BoxtelPeart, Veghel, the Netherlands

about the books you’re I’ve just finished Caitlin enjoying, so get in Moran’s MORE THAN touch and let us know.

A WOMAN. It was You can email so honest and full of zoe.west@futurenet. advice. I’m encouraging com, drop her a tweet everyone I know to read at @zoeannewest it – including my partner! or message on our Sarah Caton, w&h Book Club Hereford Facebook page.

✢ The Thief on the Winged Horse by Kate Mascarenhas ✢ Chasing the Italian Dream by Jo Thomas ✢ Two Wrongs by Mel McGrath

Stacey HALLS IN CONVERSATION WITH

W&H

BOOK CLUB

2021 SUMMER

READING specıal

A fascination with ordinary women’s lives lies at the heart of Stacey Halls’ novels, and her latest examines the darker side of Edwardian family life

H

ailed as one of the most exciting new historical novelists to emerge in recent years, Stacey Halls’ lyrical writing style is simply mesmerising – with her debut novel The Familiars the biggestselling hardback debut novel of 2019. Her new novel, Mrs England, follows Ruby, a Norland Nanny who goes to work in the home of a wealthy Edwardian couple where nothing is as it seems. Stacey lives in Oxfordshire with her husband and their dog.

The success that came with my debut, The Familiars, was surreal. The idea came to me instantly, as I had a connection with the area.

I knew the Pendle witch trials had been written about, but that didn’t put me off. I felt I hadn’t read anything like it before. A friend said, ‘You’re only a debut once, so ride it until the wheels come off.’ I did!

I am so glad the deadline for my second book, The Foundling, was

before my debut book came out, otherwise I think I would have felt completely paralysed and self-conscious. I had no idea how The Familiars was going to be received. I kept my day job as a journalist the whole time. I only quit to write Mrs England, which felt quite daunting.

‘I can’t start writing until I have an idea of where it’s set’

Place is the most important thing to me. I can’t start writing until I have a very strong idea of where it’s set. All my books have been inspired by the places themselves. So, The Familiars was inspired

by Gawthorpe Hall in Lancashire; The Foundling

by The Foundling Hospital, whose tale is told at the museum in Bloomsbury, London; and Mrs England is set in Hardcastle Crags, just outside Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire. I will go somewhere and feel a connection, a creative response, to a place. I can’t imagine the character or plot ever coming first. And there wasn’t a natural story attached to Mrs England, I had to go away and think about it. Hardcastle >> womanandhome.com 169

w&h book club Craggs is one of my favourite settings – it was the perfect place to have a house with lots of secrets.

how women occupy the more limited spaces and how they navigate these, rather than about them being pioneers.

Ruby is a Norland Nanny and would have attended what I like to think of as a nanny bootcamp. This brood of women underwent rigorous training and an exam. I visited the Norland College and they were so helpful. They sent me The Norland Quarterly from the time at which my story is set. It gives updates on where the nannies are and what they’re up to. They write in with recipes, games to play and diary entries. It brought a lot of personality to this institution.

Ever since I was young and we visited stately homes, I was interested in the lives of the normal people who lived there. I wanted to know what they wore, where they lived, what they did, rather than what went on in the grand bedrooms and long galleries. I’d be down in the servants’ quarters. That part of history is more relatable to me.

As a child I’d go to the local library and read Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management. I must have seemed so weird. It was like a portal – going back to a different time when things were a certain way. I have quite a visceral reaction to things like that. I’ll go to a museum, stand there and see the people, imagining myself being there.

‘I have a constant narration going on in my head’

The Edwardian time is sometimes seen as the golden era of childhood.

Think Mary Poppins and Peter Pan. It’s all very much nannies in pinafores – idealised and cosy. But I wanted to look at the darker side and why a woman would be drawn to this job, as it was 24/7. They only had a half-day off a week if they were lucky. Why a woman would do that, rather than be a domestic servant or work in a shop.

At the turn of the 20th century, there was a move away from children being seen and not heard. Children became very much a part of the family, and at the heart of the family – no longer confined to the nursery. But this was still a time when children would be seen for an hour a day in the drawing room. Parenthood wasn’t even a word then. These mothers were middle-class women who weren’t working either. Today women are expected to do it all. In Edwardian days, you’d have had a servant for everything.

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Mrs England is a novel with manipulation and control at its heart.

It was very much inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel. You’re not quite sure if people are who they say they are. I wanted this book to create a ‘what is going on’ paranoia.

I’m not sure if this is normal for novelists, but there is constant narration going on in my head. If I’m in a queue at the Post Office I think about how I’d write about it. And my natural writing vocabulary does seem to predate when I was born.

I think that comes from having read so many books written of their time, at their time. ✢ Mrs England by Stacey Halls (£14.99, HB, Zaffre) is out on 10 June.

BOOK CHOICES

GOLDEN PLACE

MY COUSIN RACHEL

by Daphne du Maurier I love the ambiguity in this book. Is the protagonist a victim of circumstance or a manipulative woman?

It has all the ingredients I’m drawn to – a stately home, with the house almost a character itself. And there’s such a strong sense of place. I think once you have that, it’s golden. The film that came out with Rachel Weisz as Rachel is great too!

COMING OF AGE

A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN

by Betty Smith This is a coming-of-age semi-autobiographical novel based on Betty’s experiences of growing up in a working-class Irish community in Brooklyn.

It’s set at the turn of the 20th century and there’s so much detail about where people live – and it’s full of life and character. Every single person, no matter how small, feels so real.

DARK INTRIGUE

THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE

by Philip Pullman This is the first book in the Sally Lockhart mysteries. I read it when I was about 15 and would say this is my favourite book and series ever. I read them every year or listen to them on Audible. It’s about a 16-year-old girl whose father dies and she investigates his murder. That makes it sound very twee, but it isn’t.

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Women’s lives in history have always been confined to domesticity, and motherhood was their most important role in life. I never set out to write about motherhood, but children have been a big part of my novels.

I’m more drawn to writing about the limitations and confinements around women rather than their opportunities and breaking out of the box. I would call myself a feminist novelist, but I examine

I write historical fiction, but to me the historical part is just the setting.

Court-set novels aren’t my thing. I tend to write about ordinary people and give them a voice. These women have never held the pen – everyday, working-class women; the kind I’d have been had I been born 100 years earlier.

Stacey’s

Your TOP 20 NOVELS 16

2021 SUMMER

READING specıal

We asked you which book would you choose above all others – and the results are in. Here’s the countdown from 20 to your all-time number one

R

eading is one of life’s greatest pleasures and, during lockdown, many of us have revisited or discovered some of the greatest fiction ever written. These are the books you’ve told us you love the most.

20

LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding When a plane crashes on a desert island, the only survivors are a group of schoolboys. Their attempts to govern themselves fall apart and terror sets in. A thoughtprovoking classic examining the cruel end of innocence.

A line we love: ‘The thing is – fear can’t hurt you any more than a dream.’

19

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

by Charles Dickens We follow Pip as he meets eccentric Miss Havisham, falls for haughty Estella and becomes a gentleman.

A line we love: ‘I looked at the stars, and considered how awful it would be for a man to turn his face up to them as he froze to death, and see no help or pity in all the glittering multitude.’

Cecilia and handsome Robbie.

The story stretches from World War Two France to modern-day London.

A line we love: ‘A person is, among all else, a material thing, easily torn and not easily mended.’

17

A ROOM WITH A VIEW by EM Forster This coming-of-age story features Miss Lucy Honeychurch, whose middleclass life gets a refresh on a ATONEMENT trip to Italy, where her eyes are

by Ian McEwan opened to a new world.

This epic novel reveals how a A line we love:‘Choose a place misunderstanding on the part where you won’t do very much of 13-year-old Briony Tallis harm, and stand in it for all you affects the lives of her sister are worth, facing the sunshine.’

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James McAvoy and Keira Knightley in Atonement (2007)

GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING

by Tracy Chevalier In the city of Delft, servant girl Griet catches the eye of painter Johannes Vermeer and becomes both student and muse. Scandal erupts when he presents her with a pearl earring to wear for the painting.

A line we love: ‘He saw things in a way that others did not, so that a city I had lived in all my life seemed a different place, so that a woman became beautiful with the light on her face.’

15

THE SECRET HISTORY

by Donna Tartt Set in the 1980s at college in New England, a diverse group of students become embroiled in a murder. The story is narrated by one of the students, who reflects on the tensions within the group and what happened in the lead-up to the killing. It’s an unsettling and unnerving read.

A line we loved: ‘Love doesn’t conquer everything.

And whoever thinks it does is a fool.’

classic fiction

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001) starred Nicolas Cage and Penélope Cruz

10

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CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN by Louis de Bernières Set in 1941, Captain Antonio Corelli arrives at the occupied island of Cephalonia. Over time he endears himself to the locals – and the doctor’s daughter, Pelagia. The two grow ever closer, but then Italy switches sides and Corelli returns home. Can their love survive the war?

A line we love: ‘Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away.’

12

WILD SWANS

by Jung Chang An epic read that charts three generations of the author’s own family. Love, marriage, birth, death and betrayal are interwoven into social, political and economic upheavals in this fascinating historical memoir.

A line we love: ‘If you have love, even plain cold water is sweet.’

11

THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Margaret Atwood ANNA KARENINA The tale of a dystopian world

by Leo Tolstoy where female fertility is too Beautiful, vivacious highly prized to be left in the Anna is married to cold, control of women. Defiance dull Karenin. Her life is given means death, but nothing meaning by love for her son. can completely quell the But when she meets Count human spirit – or its desires.

Vronsky, a passion overtakes A line we love: ‘All you them. Anna’s new position as have to do, I tell myself, is a mistress cuts her off from keep your mouth shut and her son and friends, and a look stupid. It shouldn’t be heartbreaking decline begins. that hard.’

A line we love: ‘Respect was invented to cover the empty place where love should be.’

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BIRDSONG by Sebastian Faulks An epic and emotional story that begins during World War One. Arriving in France, Stephen Wraysford falls in love with unhappily married Isabelle. They run away together, but the relationship founders. In a parallel story set in 1970s London, Stephen’s granddaughter discovers his journals and the moving truth about her history.

A line we loved: ‘Which human being out of all those you have met would you choose to hold your hand, to hold close to you in the beginning of eternity?’

9

THE COLOR PURPLE

by Alice Walker The Pulitzer Prizewinning 1982 novel, later turned into a film directed by Steven Spielberg, is powerful and compassionate. In the Deep South of America we meet Celie, a young girl born into poverty and segregation, who suffers at the hand of her abusive father and is later trapped in a loveless marriage. When she meets the glamorous Shuga and her neighbour, Sofia, everything changes as she discovers the true meaning

9

Celie (played by Whoopi Goldberg) in The Color Purple (1985) of female empowerment.

A line we love: ‘But I don’t know how to fight. All I know how to do is stay alive.’

8

THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY

by JRR Tolkien This epic masterpiece and its prequel, The Hobbit, are perhaps the most influential fantasy novels ever written.

To rule Middle-earth Sauron, the dark lord of Mordor, needs the One Ring. It falls to Hobbit Frodo Baggins to make his way across perilous realms to foil the evil plan.

A line we love: ‘Not all those who wander are lost.’ >>

Elisabeth Moss in 2017’s television series of The Handmaid’s Tale

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classic fiction

1

7

WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Brontë On the wild moors of Yorkshire, Heathcliff arrives at the Earnshaw family home and immediately causes upset. The unbreakable bond that develops between him and Cathy is at the heart of the story, and that bitter legacy continues into the next generation. A stirring book that’s part love, part horror.

A line we love: ‘If he loved with all the powers of his puny being, he couldn’t love as much in eighty years as I could in a day.’

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3

JANE EYRE by Charlotte Brontë Jane, governess at forbidding Thornfield Hall, gradually comes to find a place in the master’s heart. But Mr Rochester has an appalling secret that must be revealed.

Told with such intensity that Jane lives for every reader.

A line we love: ‘Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! I have as much soul as you, and full as much heart!’

REBECCA by Daphne du Maurier The timid new bride of Maximilian De Winter is haunted by the lingering presence of his late wife, Rebecca. Moving with Max to Manderley, she struggles to cope with the past, not least because chilling Mrs Danvers scarcely troubles to hide her contempt for the new mistress.

A line we love: ‘Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind.’

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE by Jane Austen Bright, lovely Elizabeth is scorned by proud Mr Darcy and sought after by creepy Mr Collins. Meanwhile her sisters’ matrimonial fortunes veer from one disaster to the next. Funny, wry and packed with vivid characters.

A line we love: ‘A lady’s imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.’

LITTLE WOMEN

by Louisa May Alcott A wonderful classic that chronicles the lives of four sisters in New England during the American Civil War. Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March are being raised in genteel poverty by their mother, while their father serves as an army chaplain. An enchanting family drama, the book brims with life and enduring characters that readers have loved for generations.

A line we love: ‘I am not afraid of storms, for I’m learning how to sail my ship.’

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2

2

1

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

by Harper Lee This thought-provoking novel tells the story of lawyer Atticus Finch, who takes on the court case of a black man accused of raping a white girl, knowing he has no hope of winning.

Told from the perspective of Finch’s daughter, Scout, this is a coming-of-age novel as much as it is a young girl’s awakening to racism in the Deep South in the 1930s.

A line we love: ‘The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.’

Little Women (2019)

YTTEG ,YMALA :SOTOHP .MAET H&W EHT DNA TSEW EOZ :SDROW

TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES

by Thomas Hardy Young and innocent Tess Durbeyfield is sent to work on a grand estate. There, she catches the eye of the young master, who takes advantage of her and paves the way to her ruin. A relationship with Angel could be her salvation, but it’s snatched away by a cruel twist of fate. A powerful criticism of Victorian hypocrisy.

A line we love: ‘Ladies know what to guard against, because they read novels that tell them of these tricks.’

5

Gregory Peck (left) won an Oscar for his role in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

2021 SUMMER

BOOKS TOWITH ESCAPE

READING specıal

Six writers reveal the books that have helped them get away from it all

T

o travel is to live, said Hans Christian Andersen.

But what happens when you can’t hop aboard a plane and fly away? With some holiday restrictions still in place, how will we reach those faraway lands this year?

Thankfully, no one can stop you escaping into the pages of a novel – and the best can take you anywhere… palm-fringed beaches, chic European boulevards, even back in time. We asked our favourite authors to tell us which books have transported them lately.

SHEILA O’FLANAGAN Elin Hilderbrand’s Summer

of ’69 transports you both in time and place; back to the heady days of the 1960s and the lives of the Levin family, who live on Nantucket island. Elin’s descriptions of the wide beaches, wooden houses and quirky cafes is so real you can almost feel the sand beneath your feet, taste the salt of the sea air and hear the melody of Let The Sunshine In. It’s a novel of changing times and changing people, but a place that will stay in your mind and heart forever.

Three Weddings and a Proposal by Sheila O’Flanagan is out now (£20, Headline).

AJ PEARCE

Jo Thomas’s books are like going on holiday, only without the airport queues, and her latest novel is exactly that. Chasing the Italian Dream is a delicious escape, packed with mouthwatering food, heart-warming friendships and an off-and-on chance of romance. If your dreams of getting away are on hold, getting lost in this Italian drama could be the next best thing.

Yours Cheerfully by AJ Pearce is out now (£14.99, Pan Macmillan).

JO THOMAS

YTTEG ,SEMAJ XELA :SOTOHP .TSEW EOZ :YB DELIPMOC

I remember when Katie Fforde first came up with the idea for her novel, A Wedding in the Country.

We were in the South of France, having a cooking class in the house we were renting, and Katie was telling me stories of her time in London in the 1960s. This book takes you back there – the buzz, the little basement cookery school, the Italian cafe and the excitement in the air of a city starting to swing. This book is full of hope, which is what we all want right now. Hope and the anticipation of a happy ending.

Chasing the Italian Dream by Jo Thomas is out now (£7.99, Transworld).

literary locations

MAGGIE O’FARRELL Jane Gardam’s Old

Filth trilogy sustained me through the first lockdown. It’s the perfect antidote to frustrated wanderlust, both in terms of its geographic scope, but also the way its protagonists cope with traumas. It tracks a group of people as they navigate the 20th century, and the narrative shifts between Hong Kong, Dorset, London, North East England, Wales, the States and Malaya.

An astonishing tour de force.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell is out now (£8.99, Headline).

TAYLOR JENKINS REID To find a book that really

transports you is very special.

For me, that book was Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic. A young socialite receives a cry for help from her cousin who is living in a beautiful old mansion in 1950s Mexico. As we follow Noemi on her mission, we begin to discover the secrets of the Gothic house at the centre of the story. In my mind I was there and I couldn’t put this book down until all the questions were answered.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid is out now (£12.99, Cornerstone).

LIBBY PAGE

One of the things I miss most about travelling is visiting hotels and B&Bs, which is why I so enjoyed And Now You’re Back by Jill Mansell, set in a hotel in the Cotswolds. There’s nothing like the sense of relaxation you get in a really gorgeous hotel, but I also find them great for people watching.

I loved reading about what goes on behind the scenes in a hotel, as well as the escape of an intriguing story and a dollop of romance. An uplifting read that will make you feel as though you’re on a minibreak.

The Island Home by Libby Page is out now (£12.99, Orion). womanandhome.com 177

ABANDONED

With an uncertain future stretching ahead, the last thing Bryony expected to find was such easy companionship

B

by Fanny Blake

ryony needed the ‘isolated spot’ described in the brochure like nothing else before in her life, but she hadn’t imagined somewhere this isolated.

Her satnav had taken her down narrow Devon lanes, overshadowed by trees, winding between drystone walls, past stone farmhouses, before announcing she had arrived at her destination.

A field. Miles from anywhere. But in the field was a smoky-pink painted shepherd’s hut, with a paved path between the small gritted car park and the steps to its stable door. Beyond was woodland, lit by slanting sunlight.

She parked, hauled her case to the

hut, extracted the key from the key safe and, with an unsteady hand, inserted it.

Why had she thought getting away on her own to consider her future was a good idea? Perhaps John had been right when he said she was overreacting.

Yet, once inside, her bruised spirits lifted. The hut might be small but it was perfect, with a soothing pine scent. Just the place for her to lick her wounds and begin to think about her new life, alone.

She opened the damson-coloured curtains at the windows. A couple of rabbits darted across the field outside.

The table for two was laid with a jar of wild flowers. At the far end was a comfortable-looking bed with a patchwork spread. The idea that she

short story would never share a bed with John again made her catch her breath.

He had other company now. Outside, she found the timber shower cabin, kitchen hut and a firepit.

Part of her wanted to throw herself on the bed and weep. His announcement that he was leaving still rang in her ears.

Another side of her, the stubborn side, wanted to show him and her doubting friends that she was perfectly capable of starting a new life on her own. And here she was, beginning it.

Her phone rang. John.

She looked at it for a few seconds. Should she?

Then, with a small sense of triumph, she refused the call.

Instead, she went for a walk in the woods, following a stream that chattered over rocks and stones, thinking of life without him. As she returned to the hut, a young conker-coloured dog raced up behind her and followed her, panting and jumping up in excitement.

‘Who are you?’ she said, bending over to pat it, while it danced around, tail wagging, excited. Nobody had been this pleased to see her for months.

She waited, expecting its owner to follow him, but after five minutes no one had appeared, and the dog showed no sign of wanting to leave. Night was falling, so Bryony decided to keep him for the night. ‘If you’re staying, you’d better have a name.’ She scratched under his chin. ‘Mmm. Red, I think. But I’m going to call the police so they know where you are.’

They sat together by the firepit, watching the stars, listening to the night sounds. Every now and then, Red jumped up and dashed after a rabbit, but he always came back. He was a pleasant holiday extra that Bryony hadn’t been expecting. John had never let them have a family dog, despite all entreaties. Red’s presence took her mind from the rejection, hard and unarguable, and the hurt that could still overwhelm her when least expected. She pulled out her phone, about to let John know where she was.

Habit.

‘No.’ She spoke out loud and put

the phone away. ‘No.’ That night, Red slept on a pillow that Bryony lay on the floor of the hut. She was woken as dawn broke by something wet slithering over her cheek. She sat bolt upright, almost knocking Red, who had been licking her enthusiastically, onto the floor. ‘You’re not meant to be up here,’ she said, lying down again, too pleased to see him to be angry.

‘And it’s way too early.’

However, her efforts to go back to sleep were thwarted by his jumping on and off the bed and the sound of him pawing at the door. Eventually, Bryony had no choice but to get up. Red bolted out of the door immediately it was opened and disappeared into the woods.

‘I suppose that’s it,’ she said.

Abandoned again. Was this what her life was going to be like from now on? She sat at the table, looking at her OS map, wondering where to go. Before she gave in to the strong temptation to spend the day hiding in bed, she made herself grab her backpack and a few rations and went out. Through the wood, up over a hill and she was on the edge of Dartmoor. She followed the directions, her spirits lifted by the sweeping stretch of moorland, the Neolithic remains of stone settlements, the stone bridges that took her over rushing streams and the vast expanse of sky. As she returned to the hut, she was feeling better than she had for weeks. Exorcised.

But alone.

From now on, I’ll always be alone. The thought gnawed at her.

But, as she emerged from the wood, she was greeted by Red, who raced over as if he’d known her forever.

‘You’re back!’ Her pain faded and she was surprised by how much pleasure she felt. The dog’s tail wagged with excitement. ‘We’d better get you some proper food, if you’re staying.’ The offering of milk and cereal that she’d rustled up the previous night was too insubstantial to repeat. ‘And I’ll call the police again.’ She agreed with a Constable Weatherby that she would

Nobody had been this pleased to see her for months

2021

SUMMER READING specıal

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keep Red until his owner was found, or she went home.

The next two weeks were healing. Being alone in the wilderness of Dartmoor, being able to walk freely, following tracks and signed walks with Red racing about beside her. Although once, the smell of a picnic sausage was too much and he shot off in pursuit.

‘You mustn’t do that. I’m so sorry.’ She put him on the lead and pulled him away from the outraged picnickers, trying not to laugh. Even when Red chewed one of her favourite slippers, she managed a smile. Sometimes he looked up at her as if… as if he understood, and it was like a balm to her soul.

The more she walked, the more she began to see her marriage in a new light. John had been weak and cowardly, not the strong, thoughtful man she had believed him to be. Perhaps life without him would be possible, although lonely.

Unless… she rested her hand on Red, who was lying beside her. The thought of saying goodbye to him too was awful.

Her phone rang just as they were about to leave for Castle Drogo.

Constable Weatherby. Her time with Red must be up, but Constable Weatherby kept talking. She barely heard him.

‘So what do you think?’ he concluded.

‘What do I think about what. Sorry?’

‘Would you like to keep the dog? No one’s claimed him. I doubt they will now.’

Bryony looked at Red, who sat at her feet with her other slipper in his mouth. His eyes were fixed on hers. His tail thumped on the floor.

Would he fit into her life at home?

‘I’d like that,’ she said, all at once. ‘Yes, I would.’

This was a sign. A new life was ahead of her, and Red would be part of it.

She couldn’t stop the smile that radiated across her face. John would think she was mad but, to her astonishment, she realised that she no longer cared what John thought.

Fanny Blake, 2021 ✢ The Long Way Home by Fanny Blake (£7.99, PB, Simon & Schuster) is out on 10 June.

She began to see her marriage in a new light

womanandhome.com 179

Coming

HOME

by Clare Mackintosh

Their family feud had lasted for years, and it seemed there was little chance of reconciliation – even now

T

he plane is full. There was an air of anticipation when we took off, the cabin filled with chatter and movement, but now we’re 18 hours into the flight, and everywhere is quiet. Most people are asleep – or trying to sleep. Some are reading, or watching films, their faces lit up by the small TV screens in front of them. Flight attendants move quietly through the cabin, collecting empty glasses and handing out blankets.

Our attendant is called Mina. She smiles as she passes, but her face is concerned, and I know she thinks we’re peculiar. It’s hardly surprising.

Most of the families around us haven’t stopped talking – excited by a holiday in Australia, or seeing far-flung family, but we haven’t said a word to each other since we boarded.

Lisa bagged the window seat right away, staring stubbornly out of it while I fussed with my magazines. She’ll be 30, next birthday, but I’m reminded of her teenage years, when dinner time

180 womanandhome.com

was all monosyllabic answers and huffs of despair. I took the aisle seat – I like the legroom, anyway – and between us, Jack sat in silent judgement. Was there ever a more dysfunctional family?

‘Just call her,’ Jack said, when a whole year had gone by.

‘And say what?’ Lisa had made it clear she didn’t want to talk to me.

Jack looked at me with a mix of frustration and pity. ‘How about sorry?’

I went to do the dishes.

No prizes for guessing where our daughter got her stubbornness.

A pool of light shines on Lisa’s book, but the page hasn’t turned in 20 minutes or more.

I wonder what she’s thinking. It’s been five years since we’ve spoken. Jack carried on seeing her and, for a while, he tried to persuade me to come.

‘You need to clear the air,’ he’d say.

He never judged me for what I’d said to Lisa. He didn’t need to: I knew I’d done wrong.

Lisa had been pregnant – the consequences of a drunken night with a man she had no plans to see again – and I’d tried to take it in my stride.

But she was 25, living in a shared flat with her career only just taking off, and when she miscarried a few weeks into the pregnancy, it seemed…

‘Maybe it’s for the best.’

I’d meant it to be comforting.

Just one of those things you say. Only Lisa’s face had crumpled, and she’d backed away, horrified and let down by the one person she’d come to for support.

I’d tried to take it back, but it was too late.

Jack would feed me snippets of news, from time to time. Lisa had a new boyfriend, he seemed really nice; she was up for a promotion at work.

‘Write her a letter,’ he suggested, but I shook my head. I’d tried to explain I hadn’t meant any harm by what I’d said – but Lisa hadn’t wanted to listen. I imagined my letter returned

We haven’t said a word to each other since we boarded

short story

NEGGURB-MEEL REFINNEJ :NOITARTSULLI .1202 ,DETIMIL GNIHSILBUP ERUTUF ©

to me, unread, and I couldn’t face the rejection. Eventually, Jack gave up.

The plane banks suddenly, and habit makes me reach for him.

‘I hate flying,’ Jack told me, all those years ago, when he took me back to Australia, to meet his family. He’d come to the UK for 12 months, then he met me, and the rest is history. He spent the whole of that flight white-knuckled and terrified, convinced we were going to crash.

Years later, after we were married, and Lisa was a baby, we made the trip again.

This time, the GP gave Jack some pills, to take the edge off. The memory prompts a noise somewhere close to a laugh, and I sense Lisa glance at me. My pulse thrums. She can’t walk away now. She can’t slam down the phone, or tear up a letter. I hear Jack in my ear. You’ve got no excuse now.

‘When we took you to see your Aussie grandparents,’ I say, and my voice feels dusty and unused, ‘you were only 10 months old.’

Lisa stares at her book, and I falter,

2021

SUMMER READING specıal

chance – to put things right. ‘I should never have said what I did. It was wrong even to think it. You would have been a wonderful mum.’

There’s a long silence, and I’m thinking – well, at least I tried – when I realise Lisa’s crying. Before I even think about whether she’ll take it, I’m reaching out a hand and she’s squeezing it tight.

‘I’m so sorry,’ I say again. After years of finding it impossible to say, it suddenly seems like the easiest word in the world.

‘I’m sorry too.’

‘You don’t need –’ I start, but she interrupts me.

‘I wanted to hurt you, the way you’d hurt me, then it went on so long I didn’t know how to get back to how things used to be.’ She looks up. ‘When I heard Dad had arranged this, I was furious with him.’

‘Me too.’

‘But I’m glad he did.’

I smile. ‘Me too.’ Beneath us, the clouds have cleared. ‘Let Dad see the view,’ I say.

Carefully, I take the wooden casket from where it’s been nestled between our seats for the 20-hour flight from London, and Lisa holds it up to the window. We’re but press on. ‘Your dad and I agreed both blinking back tears. to do shifts, so we both got some sleep.

‘Welcome home, Dad,’ Lisa says.

God knows what the doctor gave him He’d put it in his will. I want my ashes – horse tranquillisers, I reckon – but he to be scattered in the sea at Manly Beach. was out like a light before we reached It was where he’d swum as a kid; drunk the end of the runway, and he didn’t beer with his mates. wake up till we changed in Singapore.’

‘Of course,’ I said, my voice choked Slowly, Lisa lowers her book to her lap. with grief.

We both look at Jack, ‘There’s more.’ The solicitor blissfully unaware that frowned at the page as if it his two girls are talking didn’t make sense. ‘Your about him. husband specifically requested ‘Best sleep he’d ever that you and your daughter had, apparently.’ I laugh. travel together with his ashes.’

‘That was it, after that.

Jack never did give up trying Two pills before take-off, to get Lisa and me to talk, and and I might as well have I love him for it. He brought been travelling on my own.’

Lisa back to me, and gave me Jack lolls to the side, and I gently push a second chance at being a mother. As him upright.

I step out of the airport into the glorious ‘Left holding the baby,’ Lisa says quietly. Australian sunshine, and feel my The flight attendant, Mina, stops by daughter’s arm through mine, I feel a our row. ‘Seat belts on for landing, please.’ surge of hope amid my grief. Jack isn’t I wait till she’s gone. ‘I’m so very sorry.’ the only one who’s come home.

Lisa takes a breath, as though she’s Clare Mackintosh, 2021 about to cut me off, but I won’t let ✢ Hostage by Clare Mackintosh (£14.99, her. This is my chance – maybe my last HB, Little, Brown) is out on 22 June.

She can’t slam down the phone, or tear up a letter

womanandhome.com 181

W&H WEEKEND G R E AT F I L M S , T V, P O D C A S T S A N D C U LT U R E

Hot new shows ON THE BOX Anne Boleyn

There’s colour-blind casting for this three-parter that follows the final tragic months in the marriage of Anne Boleyn (Jodie Turner-Smith) and King Henry VIII (Mark Stanley), which ended in 1536 with her execution. Channel 5

Time

AWARDS-WINNER

MUST-SEE MOVIES

The Father

Anthony Hopkins deservedly won the Best Actor Oscar for his moving portrayal of a man in the grip of dementia. Co-starring Olivia Colman as his daughter and Imogen Poots as his carer, this elegant drama creates an empathic and powerful study. Out 11 June

After Love

SURVIVAL STORY

Supernova

Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci star as a married couple on their last holiday in the Lake District together, as terminal illness impacts their lives. Funny, warm, sad and beautiful, Supernova is bittersweet yet life-affirming stuff. Out 25 June

FEEL-GOOD TICKET 182 womanandhome.com

After the husband she converted to Islam for dies unexpectedly, Dover widow Mary (Joanna Scanlan) discovers he had a secret wife and son. Aleem Khan’s debut feature moulds a moving marriage out of impeccable performances. Out 4 June

HEARTFELT DRAMA

Dream Horse

The true rags-to-riches story of a scrappy Welsh housewife (Toni Collette) who bred a steeplechase champ on her allotment, this comedy is as lively as its racehorse hero. Like an equine The Full Monty, it’ll leave a smile on your face. Out 4 June

Sean Bean plays prisoner Mark Cobden, while Stephen Graham is prison officer Eric McNally in this Jimmy McGovern drama. Mark is consumed with guilt for killing an innocent man, while Eric tries his best to protect those in his charge. BBC1

Intelligence

David Schwimmer and Nick Mohammed return as NSA agent Jerry Bernstein and computer analyst Joseph Harries in a new series. Jerry’s expertise is in high demand after the Russians steal a cyberweapon. Sky One

Countdown

The quiz show that kicked off on Channel 4 back in 1982 now gets another host, as Anne Robinson replaces Nick Hewer in the word game hot seat. Expect her arched eyebrows and scowls should any player mess up! Channel 4

what’s on

less demanding, like a gripping novel. I think reading helps our brains keep ticking over.

Listening NewsAGoGo, as well as the Today programme. I also love Desert Island Discs, Paul O’Grady on BBC Radio 2, Mark Radcliffe’s The Folk Show and latenight phone-ins. Dotun Adebayo on BBC Radio 5 Live is a familiar voice too.

Learning I have been trying to learn Welsh for a couple of years now, following the death of my best friend who was a proud Welshwoman.

Learning languages is a good way to exercise your grey cells.

Visiting As many people as I can! I’m looking forward to seeing loved ones.

Buying I will be looking to buy cakes from Comedian Jo Brand, 63, lives in London out local bake sales, to with her husband, Bernie Bourke support Alzheimer’s Watching Upmarket police shows Society’s Cupcake Day this June. such as Line of Duty and Unforgotten. Shopping My daughters are good at I have, however, found my ageing and baking, so I might shop for ingredients increasingly foggy brain makes it a for them, and if some shop-bought lot harder to cope with complex plots cakes fall into my basket, so be it. and I occasionally wonder about the ✢ Support Alzheimer’s Society’s possibility of dementia approaching.

Cupcake Day on 17 June – this Reading A complex wordy book (right will help its vital support services now it’s a brain-hurty biography of reach more people. Sign up at Putin), at the same time as something alzheimers.org.uk/cupcake-day

MY CULTURE DIARY

EGNAHC OT TCEJBUS ERA SETAD ESAELER :ETON .TNEMNIATRETNE SORB RENRAW ,KU YKS ,NOSAELG NAES ,SEGAMI AP ,RCUD DRAHCIR/CIHPARGOEG LANOITAN ,+YENSID ,CBB ,YMALA :SOTOHP .YENEEWS NORAHS ,NONNAC KCIN ,REHTWORC ENAJ ,NOSRAHUQRAF AIGROEG :SDROW

STREAM IT Our pick of what to watch, whenever you want Genius: Aretha

Aretha Franklin fans are in for a treat with this biopic starring Emmy award-winner Cynthia Erivo, which explores the Queen of Soul’s life and recording career. Disney+

Lisey’s Story

This eight-part adaptation of Stephen King’s 2006 bestseller follows Lisey Landon (Julianne Moore) two years after the death of her husband, novelist Scott Landon (Clive Owen). AppleTV+

LISTEN UP

From chat to culture, great podcasts to enjoy while you’re out and about

Growing Bolder

Linda Robson hosts a new podcast that celebrates life over 50. She’ll chat to guests who have discovered a new lease of life, from TGBBO’s Jane Beedle to stand-up Lynn Ruth Miller, who’s still touring at 87. Apple Podcasts, Spotify

125 Treasures

To coincide with the publication of a new book, this podcast celebrates five objects in the National Trust collections. Introduced

by Alison Steadman, you’ll discover the stories behind artefacts as diverse as an obelisk and an elephant automaton.

Available on major podcast platforms

A Living Loss

We’ve been living through massive changes recently and in this series, psychotherapist Julia Samuel MBE talks to guests such as author Elizabeth Day and newscaster Tom Bradby about loss and change, and how they have coped. Analytical and thoughtful.

Acast, Apple Podcasts, Audible

Loki

Tom Hiddleston reprises his movie role as Loki, the imperious god of mischief, as he heads up this new Marvel series. Owen Wilson and Richard E Grant also star. Disney+ womanandhome.com 183

Your STARS LEO

Astrologer Wendy Bristow’s predictions for the month of July

VIRGO

23 AUGUST – 22 SEPTEMBER

There are moments when you’re irritable, but unclear as to why. Around the 25th, an idea paves the way for fiery Mars to enter Virgo when motivation takes an upswing.

Call 0905 789 4155* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates

Famous Cancerians: Meryl Streep, Fern Britton, Meera Syal, Diana, Princess of Wales

LIBRA

SEGAMI AP/SSERP AMUZ ,EGAMI ERIW ,YTTEG AIV YRARBIL OTOHP MAHARG MIT ,SEGAMI AP/APD :SOTOHP

SCORPIO 23 OCTOBER – 21 NOVEMBER

If early July sees you hitting an obstacle, don’t overreact. It’s temporary. By the month’s end, you’re getting help. August has a whole different vibe.

Call 0905 789 4157* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates

SAGITTARIUS

22 NOVEMBER – 21 DECEMBER

With your ruler travelling backwards, there’s a one-step-forward-one-back feel. Maybe something needs re-jigging to truly move on? Help (or romantic interest) arrives around the 22nd.

Call 0905 789 4158* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates *CALLS COST 80P PER MINUTE PLUS YOUR TELEPHONE COMPANY’S NETWORK ACCESS CHARGE AND LAST APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES. CALLERS MUST BE AGED 18 AND OVER. YOU MUST HAVE THE BILL PAYER’S PERMISSION. WEEKLY STARLINES ARE UPDATED EVERY SATURDAY. SERVICE PROVIDER: SPOKE, 0333 202 3390.

READER INFORMATION

woman&home, ISSN 0043 7247 (compact issue ISSN 1753 7932), is published monthly by Future plc, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP, England. Switchboard: 01225 442244.

• woman&home, incorporating Essentials, Living and Woman’s Journal.

Distributed by Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 161 Marsh Wall, London E14 9AP • We never accept unsolicited manuscripts, including fiction, or pictures, and if submitted, we cannot return them • Prices quoted in the magazine are RRP, checked at the time of going to press

When it comes to money, not everyone likes the moves you’re making. But don’t let others dissuade you. Meanwhile, love gets lovelier after the 10th.

Call 0905 789 4159* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates 20 JANUARY – 18 FEBRUARY

Hooray for the super-romantic vibe on the 13th. The Aquarius full moon on the 24th sends feelings sky-high.

Call 0905 789 4160* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates

PISCES

19 FEBRUARY – 20 MARCH

In May, your ruler soared into Pisces, bringing love and freedom. At July’s end, he recedes. Some things may need to be renegotiated.

Call 0905 789 4161* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates

ARIES

23 SEPTEMBER – 22 OCTOBER

July’s fun – building to a peak on the 22nd. Let your hair down. The 17th is fabulous for getting stuff done.

Call 0905 789 4156* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates

22 DECEMBER – 19 JANUARY

AQUARIUS

23 JULY – 22 AUGUST

The course of true love may not run smoothly – it feels like your partner’s blocking you somehow, but the 13th has potential to be your most romantic day.

Call 0905 789 4154* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates

CAPRICORN

horoscopes

21 MARCH – 19 APRIL

Star sign of the month CANCER 21 JUNE – 22 JULY

Expect luck or fabulous news around the 5th. Make the most of it when the Cancer new moon on 10 July creates potential for positive change. A power struggle could erupt on the 17th.

YOUR MONTHS AHEAD The influence of Pluto on close relationships means they have to change. Call 0905 789 4153* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates • Printed by Walstead UK Limited • Sole Agents: Australia and New Zealand, Gordon & Gotch Ltd; South Africa, Central News Agency Ltd • woman&home will not, without the written consent of the publishers first given, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise disposed of by way of trade at more than the recommended selling price on the cover, and shall not be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise disposed of in a mutilated condition or in any unauthorised cover by way of trade or affixed to, or as part of, any publication or advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever.

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Romance can heal deep wounds. If you’ve been hurt before, be open to letting someone get closer – it could work miracles.

Call 0905 789 4150* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates

TAURUS

20 APRIL – 20 MAY

Congratulations if you have a family holiday booked. Mid-month is full of fun, love and laughs. Around the 22nd comes a stroke of pure good luck.

Call 0905 789 4151* and choose weekly, monthly and yearly updates

GEMINI

21 MAY – 20 JUNE

Between the 1st and 11th, your ruler Mercury is in Gemini. It’s a prime time for influencing important others. Tread carefully on the 24th.

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last laugh

KATHY LETTE The comedian and author loves city life and has lived in London for over 30 years

TOWN & COUNTRY

Are we nearly there yet? Kathy and Katie are counting the days until holiday time

‘I long to walk down the aisle – the plane aisle, that is’ When I was in high school, a teacher took us camping.

✢ Best Laid Plans by Kathy Lette (£16.99, Bantam Press) is out now. @kathylette 194 womanandhome.com

‘I may have become a bit of a holiday diva’ Holidays seem like a thing of the past, when the sun always

shone and we made sandcastles on perfect beaches, wearing our knitted bathing costumes. These days, I want something more than a bucket, a spade and the occasional ice cream.

A good bed, a comfortable pillow, and a sofa I can get up out of without assistance. I may have become a bit of a diva.

Our best holidays were when we had blissful weather in Ireland. The children loved the empty beaches and so the adults could read. The first time, we forgot to bring a camera, which was very liberating, but the next year, staying in a friend’s cottage in County Mayo, we made sure to pack one.

The weather was so wonderful we considered selling our snaps to the Irish Tourist Board.

Ireland was always a good place to head for. There was a little shop in every hole in the hedge, they were open all hours and sold everything. We’ve had many good holidays in Scotland, too, staying with my husband’s mother. But these were tinged with pain as she was dreadfully bossy and, although the best grandmother, she didn’t understand why I might want to write novels instead of ironing for my loved ones.

Once, it was so bad my husband took all our holiday washing to be laundered. My motherin-law would have been so cross if she’d known. Looking back, I wish I’d told her.

There have been some difficult holidays, like the time in France when a bottle of fizzy drink exploded onto my son’s leg, cutting it badly. The swallowed coin. The constipation of my two-year-old daughter, which my mother-in-law wanted to fix with an enema.

We still holiday with our family and we still all have our ups and downs. But mostly, we remember the lovely times – there are far more of them than the other kind. And I can always bring my own pillow.

✢ A Springtime Affair by Katie Fforde (£8.99, PB, Arrow) is out now. @katiefforde

SEYELEXIP ,YALUACM ZIL ,NIAPS ALEGNA :SOTOHP

On the first night she fried up various mushrooms we’d foraged in the forest – and pretty soon we were all hallucinating. It gave a very literal meaning to the term ‘school trip’. And I’ve been having misadventures ever since.

My bodysurfing holiday in Dubai is only funny in retrospect. In reality, it was a little nail-gnawing. Although the dress code in Dubai is demure and modest, as I was staying in a private hotel, it was fine to wear my pink bikini… until a current swept me out to sea. I finally spluttered to shore down the coast, to find everyone else fully clothed in conventional attire. The conservative locals had a good chuckle at my expense, as I scurried crab-like, back to tourist-ville.

My worst vacation ever was a make-or-break trip with a boyfriend to the Maldives. It rained solidly for the whole fortnight. Cooped up at close quarters, our constant arguing culminated in his affair confession. My honeymoon didn’t fare much better on the fun-ometer. We’d chosen an Amalfi coastal resort so exclusive that not even the tide could get in. It was deliciously romantic… until my new husband fell down a cliff while exploring a ruin.

(Not his new wife, I hasten to add. I was only 30 at the time!) Honeymooners are often plastered, but preferably not from the knee down.

And speaking of romance, like all women, I long to walk down the aisle – the plane aisle. Trips have been limited to flights of fancy but post-COVID my motto is ‘have globe, will trot’. My dream destination is the Galapagos – I mean, how lovely to be in a place where there are creatures even weirder than I am!

But wherever you’re holidaying, do try local delicacies. In Brazil I once ate fried piranha – it was like dieting from the inside.

But never, ever eat foraged fungi.

KATIE FFORDE The bestselling author lives in the Cotswolds and is a country girl at heart